Stella Marsh and the Seven Pussies
by UndyingEmbers
Summary: When Princess Shelly hears a prophecy about a younger sister casting her down, she tries to have her younger brother, Prince Stan killed. After escaping, Stan gets help from seven other South Park characters to become the woman he always was and get back home. A Snow White AU. Stan is a MtF transexual. Stan/Kyle & Wendy/Cartman
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Ever since I saw the episode, The Cissy, I've always been fascinated with the idea that Stan might be a trans girl or NB. Even thought it was probably a one time thing used for a joke and didn't go anywhere, I still loved the concept. I hope this fic does it justice.**

 **Rating: M for language, juvenile humor, and sexual content**

 **Disclaimer: South Park and its characters belong to Matt Stone and Trey Parker and Comedy Central.**

 **Pairings: Stan/Kyle & Wendy/Cartman**

* * *

Once upon a time in the land of Zaron, lived a young seventeen-year-old prince named Stan Marsh. Stan was very much like the other noble lads his age. He was a trained swordsman, he liked music, and he liked to ride and hunt alongside his trusted hound, Sparky. Stan was not next in line for the throne. No, that honor went to his older sister, Princess Shelly, an ogress of a lady who was as ruthless as she was cunning.

Stan's closest friend was Prince Kyle of Larnion. Larnion was Zaron's closest ally, and Stan spent much of his childhood as a ward to the king and queen. During his time there, he had forged a bond of friendship with the crown prince that lasted the years. Even after Prince Stan returned to Zaron, he and Kyle maintained contact via couriers and messenger birds. Unfortunately, as heir to the throne, Kyle had many duties that Stan did not, and it grew ever more difficult to keep in touch with his friend.

So, when Stan had received word that Kyle's procession would make a visit to the castle of Zaron, Stan had been delighted. Prince Stan kept a well-hidden and terrible secret. It all started when the young prince was only beginning to grow out of his childhood body and take the first changes to becoming a man. When he was twelve, he secretly wanted to be a girl. At the time, he thought it was a silly fantasy and kept it well to himself. But, over time, the changes in his body felt just wrong, and it only got worse as he grew more and more. Many times, Prince Stan would look into the mirror and just hate what he was becoming. He felt that he could only confide in his dear friend. Kyle had always been the voice of reason, the responsible one. He would know what to do.

Our story truly begins when the two princes were on a walk in the gardens.

"My parents want me to arrange a match between Ike and Shelly," said Kyle.

"Ugh, do they hate him that much?" asked Stan, making a face.

"Zaron is Larnion's closest ally, and our parents are close friends," said Kyle. "It would be a dream for them if they could match one pair of their children."

"Poor Ike."

"It doesn't look like it's going to happen. Ike is a foundling, and I know your parents would prefer to match Shelly with a blood relative."

It was true. In Kyle's kingdom, foundlings were considered full members of the family and were perfectly able to inherit property and titles from the family that adopted them, though children by blood had priority. This was not true for Zaron. No doubt negotiations would be awkward. Stan could imagine his parents trying to draft up the most polite refusal they could.

"And you wouldn't be able to…" Stand imagined Kyle and Shelly getting married and abruptly felt sick.

"We're both next in line to the throne. It would cause a host of succession problems." Kyle sighed. "You know, you should really pay attention. If anything happened to Shelly, you could be ruling the kingdom someday."

"All right, all right," said Stan. "I won't leave you alone while you deal with politics."

"I'm also supposed to be looking for a bride for myself."

Stan should not have been surprised at that. Of course, it would be Kyle's duty to find a queen. "Do you have someone in mind?"

"My parents found a few matches for me, but I'm also still looking."

Stan nodded. This was a custom that both their kingdoms shared. When the crown prince or princess turned fifteen, they were given some of the responsibilities of the king and queen. This included arranging a marriage for themselves, though the king and queen could refuse any proposal they made. Shelly had been very headstrong in that regard and had not made getting married a priority. Maybe Stan should prepare for the throne after all.

"I remember you being very popular at court," said Stan. He remembered them all. Lady Rebecca, Lady Bebe, and Lady Heidi had all courted Prince Kyle when he and Stan were growing up in court. Kyle had returned their flirtations, but went no further with any of them. He had been very concerned about protecting their virtue. Stan had only known one, and neither of them had really cared about propriety.

"Did you ever find out what happened to Wendy Testaberger?" asked Stan. Their relationship did not last long after Stan returned to Zaron. Stan had abruptly received a message from her, breaking off their courtship. He later found out that she had ran away from home. That was two years ago, and, though Stan had been very depressed and despondent at the time, his feelings and heartache had simmered down immensely.

Kyle shook his head. "At this point, Count Testaberger and his wife had considered taking in a foundling just so they could have someone to pass their title to, but neither of them really have the heart to do it."

They walked some more. It was getting late, and Stan was getting more and more anxious about coming forward with his problem. "Kyle, can I talk to you about something?"

"Of course, we're friends."

In hushed whispers, Stan did his best to explain to his friend what had plagued him all those years. He did his best he could to explain the wrongness he felt inside that only got worse as time went by.

"I mean, just imagine one day you look at yourself in the mirror and found that you have boobs now." This was the closest Stan got to telling Kyle about his childhood wish of being a girl instead. He couldn't bring himself to admit that to anyone.

Luckily, to Stan's relief, Kyle just listened intently without judgement. Stan saw the contemplative look in his friend's face, and he could practically hear the wheels turning.

"I think I've gone crazy," said Stan.

"Stan," said Kyle. "I've known you since we were children. I don't think you're crazy. I'll have my scribe search the library back home to see if we can find any other cases of what you are going through."

"You mean it?" Stan had been so embarrassed to ask anyone. If anyone could figure this out, it would be Kyle.

"Of course."

Stan sighed with relief. "Thank you." Stan felt that finally talking about it with someone made him feel better about himself. He walked back to the castle with Kyle in a much lighter mood.

* * *

 _One month earlier_  
Princess Shelly was practicing magic in her private study. A messenger had just arrived with the scroll she had ordered, and she was very eager to try that new spell. The spell of prophecy seemed very simple. All she needed to do was recite the incantation on the scroll in front of a wall mirror and ask it a question.

Shelly hung the mirror and locked the door. When she was sure she was safe, she read aloud the incantation, which was written in a language ancient to Zaron, spoken only by those who still practiced the old ways.

"Mirror, mirror of prophecy  
Arise, arise and hear my plea.  
One question I have and one alone  
How shall it fare when I take the throne?"

The room darkened. Her reflection in the mirror blurred and twisted on itself until all that remained was a writhing swirl of color. A voice rang out in the darkness.

"Princess, your reign shall not be so  
For your path is beset with woe.  
By your younger sister are you undone.  
She shall strike you down before you've begun."

Shelly was furious. Even more frustrating was the fact that she had no younger sister. Her only sibling was that turd, Stan. She was absolutely determined what the mirror meant by "younger sister". For the next month, she tried both magic and mundane methods to find out if either of her parents had a secret bastard daughter somewhere. None of her searches came up with anything.

As the month passed with no other information on who her younger "sister" might be, Shelly grew ever more paranoid. It suddenly dawned on her that her younger "sister" could be referring to a sister-in-law. She would take no chances. She had to kill her younger brother before he had a chance to marry.

She set up a plan while Prince Kyle from Larion was visiting. She knew very well how close Prince Kyle and her brother were. She sent a messenger named Scott Malkinson to deliver a letter to Stan telling him that Prince Kyle wanted to go on an early morning ride with him. Her plan was to summon a pack of shadow wolves to devour him in the woods. Unfortunately for her, Scott Malkinson had spotted Prince Kyle the next morning attending a meeting and deduced that the morning ride would not happen. When Scott went back to report to Princess Shelly, he saw her summoning her wolves and commanding them to kill Prince Stan.

"I won't let some stupid prophecy ruin my reign," he had heard her say.

* * *

Stan waited atop his horse. Kyle was not here yet. He didn't wait very long, for he heard a rustling in the bushes. It wasn't Kyle, but Scott Malkinson who emerged.

"Your Highness!" he exclaimed with a lisp. "I've come to tell you that Princess Shelly is going to try to kill you. There's a prophecy. You must-"

Suddenly a pack of giant black wolves bounded out of the brush and tore poor Scott Malkinson to shreds. They were large and ferocious, and had malevolent, red eyes. Stan loved animals and nature, but these wolves were unlike anything he had ever seen before.

Stan's horse acted before he did. Upon seeing such monsters, the horse reared as it turned tail and fled. The wolves chased him through the trees into the woods. Stan held fast in his saddle as he drew his sword from its sheath and cut at the beasts who tried to jump him in his saddle. The wolves chased him deeper and deeper into the forest until suddenly, one of them grabbed onto Stan's leg and dragged him off his horse. Before he even knew it, the whole pack of the fiends swarmed him, taking bites out of his arms and legs as he desperately tried to cover himself.

Suddenly a large flash of white appeared. Stan could hear the wolves' whines of pain as they backed away from him and seemed to disintegrate into the strange light. Stan passed out from his wounds.


	2. Chapter 2

When Stan woke up, he was surrounded by pussies. The cream-colored walls were covered in sculptures and paintings of vaginas, as was the ceiling. The bed he was in was a fleshy-pink color. When he looked up, he saw that the headboard was carved to look like a large, cavernous opening with ripples along its side.

"Oh, hey! I think he's awake!" Someone exclaimed in a high-pitched, yet undeniably masculine voice. Sitting over him was a boy about his age with a blonde puff of hair at the top of his head. Sitting next to the other boy was what looked to be a girl about their age. She looked very pink. Pink hair, pink makeup, pink dress, and pink…wings? She was also holding a long, heavy, pink, rod-like wand in her hand. Stan thought she looked ridiculous. She stared at him blankly.

"…" said the girl.

"Hello," said the boy. "I'm Butters, and that's…uh…well we don't know her name, so we just call her New Kid. She cast that big spell that banished those mean ol' wolves and brought you home."

"Where am I?" Stan looked down at his body. He had bandages on his arms and legs, but he didn't look as badly hurt as he thought he should have been, and he felt that he could still move around. Maybe he was magically healed?

"…..." said New Kid.

"Oh, New Kid doesn't talk much," said Butters. "She's kind of a buttlord like that. She wants to show you around."

When Stan followed Butters and New Kid out of the room, he quickly found out that the vagina décor was basically the theme of this rather large two-story lodge. Pussy statues, pussy paintings, pussy tapestries, doors shaped like pussies, hearths shaped like pussies, oval-shaped tables, and orchids all filled the house. They had put him in a room on the second floor, which had an open view of the first floor below. There was a grand hall with a long, oval table that had smaller and smaller ovals carved into it and what looked like a giant pole sticking out from the middle.

"…" said New Kid.

"When New Kid was a young fairy, she was born a girl and was very happy to be a girl, but there were these mean ol' bad guys who wanted her power," said Butters.

"…"

"To protect her, her parents wanted to make everyone believe that she was a boy. They called her a boy, dressed her like a boy, and made her act like a boy."

"…..."

"It made the poor girl all depressed and torn up inside to try to be something she was not, and, well, one day, she got fed up and used her magic to create a place where she could be the woman she wanted to be."

"…"

"And ever since then, she opened her home to anyone who felt oppressed by gender norms so that they can be safe to experience womanhood on their own terms."

"Uh huh," said Stan, looking apprehensively around at the place.

"Why, just look at me," said Butters. "My whole life, my parents and friends said that I was a sissy because I liked playing with girl toys and flowers and decorating. They all said that I must be gay or a girl to like what I like, but then one day, I found New Kid, and, well, she showed me that it don't have to be that way. She showed me that I can be a straight boy who happens to like girl stuff, and I've been comfortable with myself ever since."

"Hm." Stan just went along with his hosts for now. He just wanted to move on so he could plan what to do next. His own sister tried to kill him, and he needed to think of a way to get back home.

"Well, there's seven of us now. Uh, eight if we count you, I guess, and we've all been living happily here since."

Suddenly they ran into a gigantically fat teenage boy. The expression on his face was a mixture of disdain and amusement.

"Oh look," said the fat boy in an accent that Stan could not quite place. "The douchefairy found another little faggy pussy to join the club."

Prince Stan was affronted. "Hey, show some respect. I'm the prince of Zaron."

"I'm the prince of Zaron. Mee mee mee mee meeee," the boy said, mimicking what Stan said in a high-pitched voice.

"Fuck you, fatass!" shouted Stan.

"Yeah, screw you guys, I'm going to my room." The boy stormed off without another word.

"Oh, that's Eric Cartman," said Butters. "Don't mind him. He just showed up one day. The poor feller was all lost in the woods, holding a doll and a sack and crying his little tender heart out."

Butters looked out to where Eric had disappeared to. He lowered his voice to a whisper. "He also likes to dress in women's underwear and start playing with dolls. I've seen him do it while looking through his keyhole at night."

Stan and Butters started chuckling, though the mental image also made Stan feel a little sick.

"…" New Kid gave them a look that managed to be both impassive and intense.

"Aw, New Kid, we were just teasing," said Butters.

"…" New Kid didn't even blink.

"Oh, you're right. We shouldn't bother people for expressing their inner woman." Though as they continued to tour the house, Stan and Butters couldn't shake off their fit of giggles.

The next person they were introduced to was a boy in a hooded cloak named Kenny. To Stan's surprise, Kenny seemed to be wearing what appeared to be a blond wig over his hood and what looked like a tattered dress that could have been fit for royalty once.

"This here is Princess Kenny," said Butters.

"Hello," said Kenny. Stan could barely hear him over the muffling from the boy's hood and mask.

"Princess Kenny?" asked Stan. The name Kenny sounded familiar.

"Yup, next in line to take the throne of McCormick," said Kenny.

Oh, McCormick, of course. Stan remembered that principality from his lessons. The little backwater country was situated on a peninsula just off Larnion and Zaron. It had had been impoverished for generations. The only reason it hadn't been annexed yet was because that tiny little scrap of land wouldn't have been worth the conflict that would have arisen between Larnion and Zaron over who would own it.

"In my country, we have very strict gender roles," said Kenny. "If the ruler is a prince, then he can only focus the country's resources on warfare. Only a princess can be in charge of diplomacy and commerce."

Stan nodded. For many, many generations, every person to take the McCormick throne had been a prince, so the country slowly wasted money on its army until its resources dwindled and dwindled until the country's army became a casual nuisance to the border towns.

"When I was born," said Kenny, "we were sure to get another prince, but I didn't want to keep running this country to the ground. So, one day I told my parents that I was going to be a princess instead. They told me that I couldn't because I was a male, so I ran away from home so that my little sister could take the throne."

"…" said New Kid with a smile.

"Well, you're always welcome here, no matter what your reasons for wanting to get in touch with your feminine side," said Butters.

Next, Stan, New Kid, and Butters toured the garden. There was a vegetable garden right near the house, but, for the most part, the back of the house seemed to be surrounded by peach trees. A balding, middle-aged man dressed in a green tunic was working the garden.

"Oh, hey kids," said the man. "I see we have a new lucky bastard come in to join our vagina monologues."

"That's Garrison," said Butters. "He's…uh…Garrison."

Stan was about to ask what Butters meant, but Butters and New Kid were already on their way.

"There are a lot of men here," said Stan as he caught up to them. "Are there any women here besides New Kid?"

They stepped out onto what looked like a small training ground. A girl was practicing swordplay on one of the training dummies. Her form and technique were unmatched by anything Stan had ever seen, though it was hard to tell when she was just practicing with a stationary target. He recognized her right away.

"Wendy?" Stan called out.

Wendy turned to him. "Stan?"

Stan let out a laugh as he ran up to her. "You just left so suddenly. Have you been here all this time?"

"No, actually. I ran away to join the army. Even though in Larnion, women can inherit positions of power, we are forbidden from actually fighting. When barbarians attacked our borders, I couldn't just sit there in my estate and let the people in my land suffer, so I disguised myself and went to go fight.

"I eventually got caught and was forced to run away. I ended up here. New Kid gave me a place to stay and let me train and be myself."

"Oh," said Stan.

"What brings you here?" asked Wendy

"My sister tried to kill me," said Stan.

Wendy's eyes widened. "Seriously? Are you all right?"

"Yeah." Stan looked down at his sleeves, which covered his still-bandaged arms. "I guess I need to go back, though."

"What are you going to do about your sister?" asked Wendy.

"I don't know. I guess tell my parents what happened."

"Do you have any proof?" she asked.

"Huh?"

Wendy sighed in exasperation. "Shelly is the crown princess. You can't just walk into the castle and accuse her of attempted murder."

"But I'll just tell my parents, they'll understand."

"They are her parents, too. They're not going to pick sides if a conflict breaks out between you two."

Stan looked away, embarrassed. "I didn't think of it that way."

"Why don't you tell me what happened?"

"Um…" Stan looked to Butters and New Kid.

"…"

"Don't mind us," said Butters. "We can all just sit down and have tea over this."

New Kid raised her wand. The rod vibrated hard and heavy in her hand. When it was good and ready, she pointed it to the ground, and it shot out a blanket along with biscuits, a teapot, and four teacups. Stan, Wendy, New Kid, and Butters sat down and helped themselves. Stan told them what happened that morning, how the messenger came out to the woods to warn him, and of his chase with those unnatural wolves, only for him to wake up in this place.  
Wendy had both hands clasped in front of her face as she listened, her expression still. "It looks like you don't have any reason at all to believe it was her."

"Huh?" said Stan.

"Well, nothing really happened, right? You just got attacked by wolves, you didn't really see her do it at all."

"Scott Malkinson is one of her best servants, why would he betray her?"

"I don't know, Stan, but I can tell you that definitely won't be enough to condemn her." She was being frustratingly analytical like this. Though, Stan remembered that it was one of the things he liked about her. She reminded him of Kyle like that. Kyle was definitely the savvy one. He would have already known everything that Wendy pointed out. He would have had a better plan. Stan wondered what Kyle was thinking right now. Did anyone at the castle think to search for Stan?

"…"

"New Kid says she rescued Stan from those wolves herself," said Butters. "She says that they were definitely magical. This was no accident. Someone wanted to hurt Stan."

"Still…" said Wendy.

"The prophecy," said Stan.

"What?" asked Wendy.

"Scott said something about a prophecy before the wolves showed up. I don't know."

"…" New Kid stood up and walked towards the house, beckoning everyone else to follow. She led them back upstairs into what Stan assumed to be her bedroom. With the way New Kid presented herself, Stan had expected to find an explosion of pink vaginas, but her room was surprisingly plain. A small bed with green sheets stood on the corner. Other than her bed, she had a desk, a chest at the foot of her bed, and a closet.

New Kid took a bowl from the chest. To Stan's not surprise, it was shaped like a vagina. She set it down and filled it with water.

"…"

"Stand back now," said Butters. "If Princess Shelly made a prophecy, then New Kid will fish it out."

New Kid's wand vibrated in her hand again. The room dimmed. New Kid stuck the tip of her wand into the bowl. The water inside turned a deep red. It didn't take long for a voice to sound out.

"Princess, your reign shall not be so  
For your path is beset with woe.  
By your younger sister are you undone.  
She shall strike you down before you've begun."

The room brightened.

"Woah," said Butters.

"But that doesn't make any sense," said Stan. "How could that prophecy be talking about me and Shelly? I'm a boy."

"Maybe gender doesn't matter?" Wendy suggested.

"…"

"New Kid says that Stan's right," said Butters. "Prophecies usually leave a lot of wiggle room in their wording. It wouldn't have specified 'sister' if it didn't mean it."

"Stan, do you have any idea who the 'sister' is supposed to be?" Wendy asked.

"No," Stan lied.

"Well, what are you going to do?" asked Wendy. "You still don't have enough to act against Shelly, and if you just go home, she might try to kill you again."

"I don't know, okay!" Stan yelled.

A few moments of awkward silenced passed. Wendy excused herself to go back outside. Stan needed some time alone. Butters took him back to his room.

"Hey," said Stan. "You said there were seven of you?"

"Yup," said Butters. "Eight, counting you."

"But I only counted six," said Stan. "Who's the seventh?"

"Oh, that one? Have you heard of the legend of the Singing Lord?"

"Yeah." There were tales that an apparition called "the Singing Lord" would appear in people's privies. Although it sang with a woman's voice, it just kept singing "I am Lord" over and over. It wasn't much of a legend. Stories of the Singing Lord only started popping up a few years ago.

"Well, the Singing Lord visits us almost every night, taking up the privy all night long. We've talked to her a couple of times, but she just keeps singing that same line, over and over.

"Well, enjoy your stay." Butters left Stan alone to his thoughts.

There was a floor-length mirror in Stan's room. Of course, the frame was shaped like yet another vagina. Stan could see himself very clearly: his tall "perfect" body, his dark hair, his "handsome" face. He had been told many times in his life that he was the pinnacle of masculine beauty, and every time he heard it, he had died a little inside.

So, this was how it was going to be. His sister wanted him dead, and for that reason, he could not go home again. He wouldn't see his parents or his friends or his loyal dog again. And Kyle…

Kyle, who had promised to look into what was wrong with him, his best friend in the world, who had always been there for him, and now Stan wondered if they will ever see each other again. Would Kyle believe Stan if he told him that his own sister summoned a pack of wolves on him at the behest of a prophecy? Wendy was right. It sounded so stupid.

As he kept looking at himself in the mirror, another plan formed in his mind. The prophecy said that a younger sister would cast down Princess Shelly. If that prophecy meant him, then destiny was on his side. If Stan were a woman, then he would fit the role easily. He envisioned how he would do it. If he were a princess, then he could marry Kyle and return to get revenge on Shelly for what she had done. Politically, the match would be perfect, and Kyle did say that his parents would love it if a match could be made between a prince and princess of their two kingdoms.

All he would have to do is somehow transform into a woman. New Kid seemed to be some kind of fairy, and she had shown that she could do some magic. Maybe she could help him. He just needed to convince her.

Stan smiled. Wendy probably would find this plan to be completely stupid, but that did not dampen his enthusiasm one bit. He felt that it was a great idea. What could possibly go wrong?


	3. Chapter 3

Stan woke up that night to the sound of someone singing. The singer repeated the same line over and over, though Stan could not make out the exact words. It came from outside. Stan got out of bed. Perhaps it was the Singing Lord that Butters mentioned. Now, Stan was curious to see if the stories were true. He slipped on a shirt and took a candle from the drawer next to his bed before heading out.

Stan passed Cartman's room as he snuck through the house. There was light coming through the keyhole, and Stan heard whispering. He knelt by the keyhole and quietly took a look. What he saw was the funniest yet most disturbing thing he'd ever seen.

There Cartman was, donned in a garish yellow dress, and a thick layer of makeup was caked onto his face. He was lounging on his bed and holding a rose to his chest. He seemed to be (badly) reciting a poem of some kind.

"Nor fair bird, precious gold, nor glittering jewel  
Could compare to how Eric Cartman is undeniably cool.  
Poets and philosophers would never be wrong  
When they say that I am totally awesome and strong.  
What can you mere cretins do,  
Knowing that Eric Cartman is stronger, handsomer, and cooler than you?"

Stan backed away from that slowly and continued his original mission. He headed outside towards the privy.

As Stan got closer, he could very clearly hear the lyrics "I am Lord. Ya ya ya" over and over again. He wondered why everyone thought that the Singing Lord was a woman. The voice was very deep and clearly masculine.

The Singing Lord was not the most considerate guest, it seemed. Every couple of lines or so, she would let out a fart. As Stan got closer, the smell became so unbearable that he had to cover his face with his shirt. He could barely stand to approach the door. But approach the door he did. He put his eye to a large crack in the door. Inside, was his father. King Randy Marsh was sitting in a privy in a house in the woods, dressed like a woman. Except, the king wasn't really there, either. He was translucent, like a ghost.

Stan took a few steps back and vomited. This was the most shocking thing he had ever seen in his life. His knees buckled, and it was all he could do to avoid passing out.

Suddenly the singing stopped.

"Dad!" Stan yelled as he opened the door of the privy. But his father was gone. What was left was the largest, stinkiest pile of shit Stan had ever seen. He dashed back into the house, back to his room. What he just saw shook him to his core. Seeing his father dressed as a woman just made him feel even worse about his own issues with his body. How long had his father been appearing in people's privies like this? How was his father _able_ to do this? His head spun as he lay in his bed.

Everyone met for breakfast the next morning in the dinning hall. Of course, all the plates and bowls were shaped like pussies, painted a nice soft pink. They had a hearty breakfast of bread with butter and jam, peaches from the orchard, cheese, and plump sausages. Cartman took up a whole wheel of cheese to himself and was generously helping himself to it. Wendy was sitting next to him, slicing some peaches for herself.

"Hey, hey!" Cartman yelled when Wendy tried to sneak some peaches onto his plate. "What the fuck?!"

Wendy was completely nonplussed. "It's called a fruit. It's good for you."

"You're not my mom, ho!" Bread and cheese spilled out of his full mouth. "What, so you think you can control my life?"

Wendy threw up her hands. "Whatever."

Cartman muttered under his breath as he helped himself to more cheese, though Stan thought that he saw Cartman picking off one of the peach slices and eating it.

New Kid sat at the head of the table. Butters and Kenny were at her sides. They were deep in conversation. Kenny and Butters chatted away while New Kid stared at them and smiled.

"New Kid," said Stan.

"…" New Kid stared at him.

"Well, what is it, Stan?" asked Butters.

"I need you to turn me into a woman."

"…"

"Uh, what now?" asked Butters.

"I want to be a woman." It was then that Stan realized that everyone at the table was listening to him. "Can you turn me into one?"

"Why do you want to be a woman, dude?" asked Kenny.

"Well, what about you?" asked Stan. "Aren't you a princess or something?"

"Yeah, a princess," said Kenny. "But I'm still a man. That's completely different."

"This wouldn't have anything to do with the prophecy, would it?" Wendy asked as she narrowed her eyes at him.

Crap. "I really think I have a shot of going home."

"Oh, Stan." Wendy sighed.

"…" said New Kid.

"New Kid's sorry, Stan, but it's a very big decision, and it would be a disaster to make it so frivolously," said Butters.

Stan got out of his seat and walked up to her. "Please. My whole life, I've always felt that I needed to be something else. I…I hate being what I am now. I didn't know what was wrong before, but I saw something last night that made me sure that this whole time I've been confused about my gender. Please."

Stan had condensed years of confusion into that one tiny statement. He had only ever told it to one person. He needed New Kid to hear his plea.

New Kid looked up at him. There was no hint of emotion on her face.

"…"

"Uh, Butters, do you mind?" asked Cartman.

"Hold on, fellas, she's thinking," said Butters.

New Kid sighed deeply. She stood up from the table and walked away.

"She wants you to follow her," said Butters. "Go on now."

Stan followed New Kid to the orchard outside. Everyone else gathered behind him, obviously eager to see what will happen. Stan didn't care. His heart was pounding with excitement. This was actually happening.

New Kid stopped at a lone apple tree in the garden. Its leaves were very green, and it bore no fruit. New Kid raised her wand to its branches. It vibrated vigorously, nearly flying out of her hand, but she held on tightly to the shaft. A bud sprouted on one of the branches, which grew into a full red apple right before everyone's eyes.

New Kid turned to face Stan. "…"

"She says that for the next seven days, you're gonna have to eat an apple that grows out of this tree," said Butters.

"Awesome!" Stan reached out to grab it, but New Kid whacked his wrist with her wand.

"…"

"She says, once you start, there is no turning back, and you have to keep going to the end. If you skip a day for any reason, you'll be stuck in whatever state you're in. She wants you to be absolutely sure you want this."

"Stan," said Wendy.

"I want this," said Stan. He was nervous, but he also felt more sure of this than anything in his life. He would be fine. He was the destined "younger sister", right? New Kid let him go, and he picked the apple from the tree. Everyone watched intently as he brought it to his mouth and took the first bite.

As soon as that bit of apple went down his throat, Stan started choking. He couldn't breathe. He coughed and gasped, desperate to get that thing out of his throat.

"Stan!" Wendy ran to his side as he fell to his knees, clawing at his neck. "What's happening?!" Wendy glared at New Kid. New Kid just stared impassively at Stan.

"All right, children, settle down," said Garrison. "If he passes out, I know about four different mouth to mouth techniques that should work."

Suddenly, Stan swallowed that cursed thing. His windpipe cleared up in an instant. He took in a large breath of air.

"Stan, are you okay?" asked Wendy.

"Y…Yeah, I'm _fine_." Stan clasped his hands over his mouth as he squeaked the last word. " _Dude_! What the _fuck_?!"

"Ah ha ha ha ha ha!" Cartman slapped his knee as he laughed hysterically. "Ah man, you sound like a yapping dog!"

" _Fuck_ _you_!" yelled Stan. Cartman only laughed harder.

"Dude, that is messed up," said Kenny.

"Seriously, you guys!" Cartman teared up. His face turned red from all the laughing.

"New Kid!" Stan yelled. This was bad. It was like when he was younger, and he was just starting to develop a man's voice. But this was much, much worse.

"…"

"Oh, um. You're squeezing in months of development into a few days," said Butters "Some things are sure to be awkward."

"…"

"Don't worry about it. Your voice will settle down sometime today or so."

"A _day_?"

"HA HA HA HA HA! Oh, you guys! Seriously!" yelled Cartman.

For the rest of the day, Stan kept his mouth shut. Cartman tried many times to provoke him into saying something so that he could laugh at him. However, just as Butters said, Stan's new voice did settle down as the day went by. His new voice sounded very similar to his mother's, which Stan found a little weird, but he supposed it made sense.

He stood in front of the mirror again. The first thing he noticed was that his Adam's apple was gone. So, this was really happening. In seven days, he would have a woman's body. He closed his eyes and practiced a few phrases. As he kept talking to himself with his eyes closed, he his old body slipping away. He wondered how tall his new body would be or how he'd look in a dress. It just felt right. For once a very long time, Stan was free from his terrible self-loathing. He imagined himself at court and practiced how he would make his proposal to Kyle.

"Prince Kyle." Was that too formal? "I, Princess…"

That's right. He probably needed a new name. "I, Princess Stella Marsh of Zaron propose an alliance of marriage." God, that sounded so dumb.

When Stan opened his eyes, the illusion almost shattered. Almost. Though the reflection looking back at him was that of a seventeen-year-old boy with a girl's voice, Stan felt immensely better now that he did the day before. This was what was missing, and he was one step closer to getting it.

Everyone met again for dinner. Wendy hunted rabbits for a roast, and Garrison cooked a thick stew from some vegetables from the garden. They topped it off with a nice bottle of wine. Stan banged his goblet on the table to get everyone's attention.

"I have an announcement to make," said Stan. Cartman sniggered at him from his corner. Wendy jabbed him with her elbow to silence him.

"Going forward," said Stan, "I will be answering to my new name, Stella. I would also very much appreciate it if you refer to me using female pronouns."

"Of course, Stella," said Wendy. "If this is what you want, then I'll support you."

New Kid smiled. "…"

"Why, sure thing, Stella," said Butters. "The important thing is to be yourself."

"Sure, I don't see why not," said Kenny.

"Well, if we're all doing it, then I guess," said Garrison.

"Are we done yet? I'm trying to eat," said Cartman as he took a piece of rabbit off Wendy's plate.

Stella sat back down. She had never been happier. It wasn't much, but she would treasure their easy acceptance forever. For the rest of the evening, she enjoyed fine food and fine company.

When everyone else went to bed, Stella stayed near the privy and waited for the Singing Lord. It was still very puzzling to her that her father was the Singing Lord, but family was family. She wanted desperately to talk to him about both their issues with gender. She wondered if he would have understood if she had just talked to him before she had to run away. Some part of her wished that she had known about this side of her father sooner.

"I am Lord. I am Lord. Ya ya ya," came her father's voice through the privy.

"Dad?" said Stella. "Can you hear me?"

"I am Lord. I am Lord," he kept singing. Stella tried to open the privy door, but it wouldn't budge.

"Dad?"

"Ya ya ya."

Stella sighed. "Dad. You probably can't tell from my voice but…it's me, Stan, though I prefer Stella now. I've been going through a lot and…I asked a fairy to change me into a woman. I think that this is what I've been missing my whole life, and I…" Stella found herself getting choked up all of the sudden. "I really wish that I could sit down and talk to you about this, but for now, just know that I'm safe…and I'm coming back."

The Singing Lord let out a giant, stinky, wet fart. Stella recoiled from the door as the smell overwhelmed her.

"Awww, really, dude?" she demanded as she covered her face with her shirt.

* * *

 _The next morning, at the castle of Zaron_

Prince Stan had been missing for three days. Shelly's parents were distraught, but it was still too early to think that anything had happened to him. Shelly knew better, though. Her little brother had been torn apart by wolves three days ago and would never be seen again. It was a shame that Shelly couldn't find his body, but all she needed was for him to be gone.

Shelly and her mother were sitting down in the council chamber discussing the missing prince when her father, King Randy strolled in. He seemed oddly happy as he walked in with a spring in his step.

"Ya ya ya. Ya ya ya," he sang.

Queen Sharon frowned at him. "Randy," she scolded.

"What's wrong, Sharon?" he asked.

"What's wrong?" she countered. "Our son is missing, and while Prince Kyle, someone who should be our _guest_ , is working himself sick trying to help us find him, you sleep in late and just prance in here singing. What is wrong with you?"

"Sorry, Sharon, but I just have this feeling that everything's going to be fine."

"A feeling?" Sharon crossed her arms.

"Yeah, like I just took the biggest shit of my life."

Sharon threw her hands up in the air. "You deal with him, Shelly." She got up and stormed out of the room.

"So," said Randy as he took a seat at the head of the table, "what did I miss?"

"Not much," said Shelly. "We still don't know where Stan is."

"Huh. You know I had a dream about her last night."

Shelly's head snapped up. "Her?"

"Woah, that was weird. I wonder how I slipped that one up."

"Anything else?" Shelly's hands clenched under the table.

"Yeah. I dreamed that Stan was at a magic cottage in the woods, and that a fairy was helping her become a woman. And she's totally coming back once her transformation is done. Weird, huh?"

"I see."

Randy stood up. "Well, I should probably go find your mother. You should check with Prince Kyle when he gets back. See you." He left Shelly alone.

Shelly was fuming. So, she was right. The prophecy _was_ referring to Stan. And he was still alive and very much a threat.

"YOU TUUUUUUURRRRRRD!" she yelled.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: I just realized that the formatting was not working the way I wanted it to. I went back and added clearer scene breaks. Going forward, sections with different viewpoints will be separated by a horizontal line.**

* * *

Princess Shelly's two burly henchmen struggled with her brother's dog, Sparky. One man pulled the dog's chain, and the other seemed to be trying lead the dog into a cage with a stick. Though very friendly and loyal, Sparky was of a very strong, fierce, and intelligent breed. He held strongly against the man pulling at his chain, and against the other, he would learn the man's patterns and bite him when he got the opportunity.

"Do I have to do everything myself?" Princess Shelly demanded. She grabbed the stick and screamed as she ran at the dog, brandishing her weapon. The dog growled at her, but a well-placed smack with the stick stunned it long enough for the three of them to push him into the cage and lock it. Sparky barked and growled from behind the bars.

"Go to the forest and capture anyone who tries to rescue this dog," said Shelly. "The person I'm looking for has dark hair and blue eyes. You are to bring them straight to me. No going through the guards or the castle, I'll meet you at our agreed upon location."

* * *

Stella woke up at dawn the next morning. She had been so excited for her second change that she hardly got any sleep that night. She didn't even bother to shave. She just threw on some clothes and rushed out through the house and into the garden. Sure enough, at the end of the orchard, that lone apple tree bore another shiny red apple on its branches. Stella grabbed the apple and took a bite out of it.

There was no choking. There were no sensations. In fact, nothing seemed to happen. Stella began to worry. Butters/New Kid had told her that the changes would be sudden, like they were the day before. But now, nothing. Stella finished the apple, but she still did not notice anything. New Kid would have an explanation.

Stella made her way back to the house. By the time she got there, she felt a mild itching on her skin. When she scratched her face, a good bit of the stubble from her cheek fell off. Stella felt relieved. She went back up to her room, and she felt itchy everywhere. She stripped off all her clothes. The thick, dark hair on her arms, legs, and chest started falling off. She spent a good portion of her morning rubbing her skin free of that hair. As the thick, coarse body hair fell off from her arms and legs, new, finer hair grew in its place. Stella's skin also felt softer and smoother.

Stella missed breakfast trying to get all of that hair off, but she scrubbed off all the hair that would come out at the moment. The rest, she presumed would have to wait. She grabbed some bread from the kitchen and drank some water. She felt like sword practice.

When Stella got to the training grounds, she saw Wendy practicing with the dummies again. Cartman lounged in the shade not far from her, eating nuts from a sack.

Stella greeted her. "Hey, Wendy."

Wendy turned around. "Hi, Stella."

Cartman laughed. "Oh, man, that voice with that body, seriously." Wendy shot him a stern look.

"Do you want to spar?" asked Stella.

"Oh, no, no, no," said Cartman. "I'm already helping Wendy, so fuck off."

"Lying down in the shade and watching me practice doesn't count as helping," said Wendy.

"Sure, it does," said Cartman. "I'm giving you moral support."

Wendy sighed. "Come on, there's a shed with some blunted swords and padded armor we can use."

They got ready and faced each other in the center of the training grounds. Wendy had a good stance. Stella recognized those moves from observing the soldiers from Larion during her time as a ward. Wendy certainly looked military-trained, but Stella was still male-bodied. She didn't want to hurt Wendy, so she took a less aggressive stance.

When Cartman called for the match to start, Wendy lunged. Her strike was quick, sure, and strong. It took Stella completely by surprise. She barely managed to parry that attack. Wendy used that moment to bring her sword back and bring it to Stella's side and hit her. Hard. Wendy finished her off by thrusting her practice sword into Stella's abdomen, knocking her to the ground.

Cartman hollered and laughed. "Kick her ass, Wendy!"

Stella got back up. Wendy was good, great even. She always knew when to hit Stella to get at her weak points, striking decisively like a snake, but, once Stella stopped underestimating her and really put her all in the fight, she started giving back as many hits as she took. Pretty soon, they were both sweaty and bruised as they both gave it their all.

"Ok, stop," said Cartman. They were in the middle of the fight. Stella was just about to block an attack from Wendy, who limply pointed her sword down as Cartman called time. "I need a break, I'm beat."

"All you did was sit there!" said Wendy.

"Well, I need a drink. It's hot out here!" Cartman stood up, taking his sack of nuts with him. "I'll be right back. I'm getting some chilled tea."

Wendy groaned as he walked away. Stella took a moment to catch her breath. She honestly wouldn't mind waiting a few minutes.

Luckily, Wendy seemed to be more in a talking mood now. "I've been meaning to ask. Are you really planning on following through with the prophecy?"

"Well, yeah, why shouldn't I?" asked Stella. "Shelly killed an innocent man and tried to kill me. She needs to be stopped if I'm ever going to get back home."

"I see. Do you have a plan?"

"Well, I was thinking of proposing marriage to Prince Kyle once I was done transforming. That will put me in a better position to act against Shelly."

"And you're sure that Kyle would go along with this?"

"I think I have a good shot. The marriage would be politically sound, and he and I have been best friends forever so…"

"I was talking about your vendetta against your sister," said Wendy. "Do you really think Prince Kyle would create a conflict between Zaron and Larion for you?"

Stella paused. It had crossed her mind once or twice. "I don't know. Probably not. But maybe if I were princess or queen of Larion, I could demand something from Shelly. Even if it doesn't happen…even if Kyle doesn't agree to marry me, I think he's still my best bet. I can't go back home, because Shelly's still there, and if I go home as a woman, she'll want me dead for sure. But if I went to Kyle, maybe I could stay in Larion. I can still send letters to my parents. Kyle and I were always there for each other. I'm sure he would help me."

"It sounds like you two are really close," said Wendy.

Stella smiled. She felt a warmth flood to her cheeks. "Yes, we are." She didn't know why that made her fell so warm inside.

"Stella." Wendy spoke slowly, as if considering every word. "If Prince Kyle does marry you, you will be queen of Larion. If that ever happened, could I ask you something?"

"Go ahead," said Stella apprehensively. "I can't make any promises though."

"I know," said Wendy. "I just ask that you do what you can."

"All right."

"Larion needs to allow women in its army," said Wendy. "And we need to be treated with respect. When barbarians attacked the border villages in Larion, I knew I needed to be out there with the troops. If I had been a boy, it would have been expected of me."

"I'll do what I can," said Stella, "but, like I said, I can't make any promises."

"There's more," said Wendy. "I can't go home either. The reason I left army was because someone found out that I had been disguising myself as a boy. The person who found out knew that I was a countess, so they tried to blackmail me for political and financial favors. He was going to tell everyone what I had been doing this whole time. Since I'm a woman, not only did I break the law, but a lone woman spending months from home surrounded by men would have been disgraceful. I wouldn't have been able to return home like that."

"Dude…"

"I ran away. It was the only thing I could do. I can't retake the identity I used to join the army, since technically, I deserted, and I can't go home because this guy has ties to the court and will try to blackmail me again. I just kept running. For days, I lived out in the wild, hunting and taking shelter where I could. Eventually, I found New Kid and her house. She took me in and told me that I wouldn't have to hide from people anymore, and that I could just be myself. It's a wonderful place, but I still think about going back home.

"So, if you find Prince Kyle, could you…?"

"Of course!" said Stella. "I'll talk to Kyle. I'm sure he'll clear your name. I promise, I will do everything I can to help you and every woman who wants to join the army."

Wendy smiled. "Thank you."

Stella took in a deep breath. "You know, I actually felt really bad for the longest time. I thought that the reason you left was because…ah...you know…after we've been together at court, that maybe we may have caused…an accident…" Stella blushed.

Wendy threw her head back and laughed. "You thought you got me pregnant."

"Well, yeah!"

"That definitely would have been a problem," Wendy said. "No, you don't have to worry about that."

"Oh good," said Stella. "Um…I mean good for you. I've…moved on."

"I've moved on too," Wendy said decisively.

Just then, Cartman came back to the practice yard holding a tray with three mugs on it.

"Sorry it took so long," said Cartman. "Butters went to go help Kenny with his dress while he was making the tea, so I had to go drag him back to the kitchen." Cartman gave one mug to Wendy before taking the other two with him into the shade. "Chilled tea with peach juice really hits the spot."

The next day, Stella ate the third apple. She didn't notice any changes. She didn't feel anything, either. No pain, no choking, no prickling sensations, nothing. She ate breakfast with the rest of the household. She sat besides Kenny, who sat at New Kid's left hand. He wasn't wearing his dress that day. Instead, he wore some really faded orange and brown peasant clothes. His short, blond hair poked through his hood.

"Hey, Kenny," said Stella, hoping to strike up a conversation.

"Hmm." Kenny didn't look up from his bowl.

"Is something wrong?" asked Stella.

"No," Kenny said tersely. "Just eating breakfast." He stabbed his bread with the knife he was using to butter it.

Stella was about to ask Kenny what his problem was, but Garrison spoke up. "Okay, children, we're out of mushrooms. I need some of you to go out into the forest to go get some. I volunteer Eric and Kenny."

"Aawww, why do I have to go?" Cartman demanded. "I always have to do everything around here."

"Eric, it's about god damn time you did something useful, so unless you want me to piss in your soup for the next month, I suggest you go out and get me some damn mushrooms," said Garrison.

"Hmmph." Cartman slumped in his seat.

"Can I go?" asked Stella. "I go hunting in my family's woods all the time. I can help get mushrooms."

"Well, I don't see why not," said Garrison.

"Does that mean I can stay here?" asked Cartman.

"No, Eric!"

Stella, Kenny, and Cartman headed off into the forest. Cartman complained the whole time, of course. He never really did any work, either. He just walked around and complained as Stella and Kenny picked mushrooms. Kenny wasn't much better company, either. He ignored Stella, and she could feel the hostility emanating from him.

"Okay, dude, what is your problem?" Stella asked.

"Fucking nothing, okay?" he shot back at her.

"It's not noth-"

"Just don't, okay?" Kenny snapped at her. "Let's just get Garrison his mushrooms so we can go back, all right?"

The rest of their time spent in the woods were just awkward and uncomfortable. Stella went to go pick mushrooms a little ways away from both her companions. Suddenly she heard a noise. It sounded like barking. Stella loved dogs. She went to take a look. She walked quickly towards the direction that the barking was coming from. As she got closer, she could tell that the dog was agitated and angry. She broke into a run. She hated the idea of that poor animal in distress.

She found the dog. It wasn't any dog. It was her dog, her loyal companion, Sparky, who, next to Kyle, was her best friend in the world. Sparky was in a cage. Two large, bulky men tormented him with a stick. One of them had spiky brown hair, and the other wore a brown cap.

"Whats'a matter, boy, thirsty?" asked the spiky-haired man. He opened his wineskin and spilled wine on Sparky.

"Hey, don't waste good booze on a dog," said the man with the cap. Sparky jumped at the cage bars. "Hey, get back!" The man with the cap jabbed Sparky hard with the stick.

That was enough to send Stella into a near-rage. She dropped her basket and stepped out towards the men. "You stop that right now!" she yelled.

"Oooooh." The cap head jeered. "What are you going to do about it?"

Stella clenched her fists. She had almost forgotten that she wasn't a prince anymore. Just a few days ago, she would have sent these cretins to the dungeons for daring to hurt Sparky. Now she was alone against two very big and dangerous men.

"Where's your manners?" asked the spiky-haired man. "It's a lady you're talking to." His voice dipped, and Stella could see the lecherous look in his eye. "And I haven't seen one of those in a long time?"

"Are you sure? She's really tall and bulky for a girl, and she's flat, too."

"Sounds like a girl to me. Plus, she's got okay ass if you squint really hard."

The two men laughed. Stella felt absolutely mortified. The way they talked about her like that, and while she was standing right there made her feel demeaned and humiliated. This has never happened to her before. Her hand went to her sword, and she pulled it out almost unthinkingly.

"Woah, relax, honey," said the one with spiky hair. "We'll let you have the dog. Let me just get that door open for you."

"Well, go on," said the cap head. "You want the dog or not."

Stella approached the door. Words could not explain how much she just wanted to get Sparky out of there and leave.

When she got close to the cage, the two men opened the cage door and shoved her in. Sparky tried to jump for the open door, but they slammed it his face. They laughed and jeered as they locked the door.

"What do you want?" Stella demanded.

"Nothing personal," said cap head. "It's just that we…"

"Don't tell her we're working for the princess, cocksucker."

"Don't call me a cocksucker, cocksucker."

Eric Cartman walked out from the woods. He was wearing Kenny's hood over his face like a shawl. It looked like he tore up his shirt so that the top of his large breasts were visible. Stella could also catch a glimpse of women's underwear under Cartman's shirt.

"Hi boys," Cartman said with a high-pitched voice. "Wanna see my tits?"

"Woah." The two men walked over to Cartman as if in a trance.

Kenny approached the cage door. He put his finger to his lip, indicating to Stella to be silent before he started picking the lock on the cage. Cartman kept distracting the two men while Kenny worked on the lock. Kenny opened it with a click.

"Hey!" shouted the spiky-haired man as the cage door opened rather loudly. Stella got out her sword and whistled at Sparky to attack. Stella engaged the man with the cap. He drew his sword just in time to parry Stella's first attack. Stella used the same trick that Wendy used on her and attacked the opening he created, slashing open his stomach. The man with the cap fell and convulsed for a moment before he died.

Sparky had the spiky-haired man's leg in his mouth. The man thrust his sword at Sparky, forcing the dog to let go to avoid the strike. Seeing that his friend was down, he ran away. Stella and Sparky chased him as he ran towards his horses. They were faster than him, but he was able to mount his horse. He grabbed the reins of his friend's horse before galloping away.

Stella whistled Sparky to come back to her. In an instant, the ferocious attack dog turned into Stella's loyal friend. Sparky jumped on her, knocking her down, and started licking her face profusely. Stella rubbed his head profusely, all the while telling him what a good dog he was. Stella then wrestled him to the ground and rubbed his belly. Sparky kicked his legs up in the air, his tongue wagging happily.

"Are you stupid?" Kenny demanded. Stella stopped playing around to look up at him. "You could have gotten killed. What the fuck were you thinking?"

"Okay, Kenny," Stella stood up and faced him. "You've been a dick to me all day. Just what the fuck is going on?"

Kenny did not back down. He looked Stella square in the face. "You really think you know what it means to be a woman? Do you know what these guys would have done to you?" Kenny sighed. "What the hell was New Kid thinking?"

With that, Kenny stormed off. Stella knew she would get no help from Cartman. Cartman just sniggered at the tiny spectacle Stella and Kenny were creating. They gathered up the mushrooms. It was not as many as Garrison wanted, but they were all eager to go home. They walked back to the house. Butters greeted them in the kitchen. Kenny slammed his basket on the table before storming off to his room. Cartman just wandered off to do his own thing. Stella put her basket on the table besides Kenny's.

"Hello, Stella," said Butters. "Woah, you look different."

"Really?" Stella looked down at herself. She still didn't notice anything. "Different how?"

"I don't know," said Butters. "I mean you look the same size, but something about your body looks like it changed somehow."

Stella stilled looked down at her body. "Butters, do you know why Kenny's being an ass today? He's just been a real dick to me."

"Oh," said Butters. He took the mushrooms from the baskets and started putting them away. "I don't know if I should tell you this, but, last night, Kenny went to New Kid and asked her to change him into a woman, too. New Kid didn't think it was a good idea, so she told him to wait on that for a bit."

"Why not?" asked Stella. "If Kenny want's to be a woman, just let him be a woman."

"That's what I asked New Kid," said Butters. "She told me that it was more complicated than that. She told me that some people are born a girl or boy, but it's not who they are on the inside. Some boys are actually girls on the inside, and they need to be able to express their identity because it's who they are. Some boys, like me and Kenny and Eric, well we like to do girl things, and in Kenny and Eric's case, dress like girls, but we're still boys on the inside, and it would be a big mistake to treat us like girls when we're not."

"I didn't get any of that at all. Why wasn't this complicated for me?"

Butters paused. "New Kid said that Kenny _wants_ to be a woman. You _are_ a woman. You said your whole life, you were meant to be something else. Kenny didn't really think of it until you started doing it. Now, New Kid says that she could be wrong about Kenny, and it could be that maybe he really was a woman inside all along. But New Kid didn't feel that it was the case right now, so she told him to wait."

Stella took a step towards the kitchen door. Sparky followed after her. "All right. I'll leave you to it then."

She went upstairs to her room. When she caught her reflection in the mirror, something did seem off. Standing in front of it, she still couldn't figure out what it was. She took off her clothes. Then she saw it. It was incredibly subtle, but now that she noticed, her body did look so much different. Her chest had actually gotten smaller. She had less fat around her abdomen and more around her thighs and hips. It made her body slightly more curvy. She felt a rush a joy. She remembered what Butters had just said. Kenny _wanted_ to be a woman. Stella _was_ a woman. She supposed she was. The thought made her happy.

* * *

One of Shelly's men made it back to the meeting spot. Shelly was furious that he came back without her brother.

"We found the girl," he pleaded. "Dark hair, blue eyes, just like you said."

"A girl?" Shelly demanded. "You found a girl?"

"W…well I _think_ she was a girl. She was kind of tall and flat, but she sounded like a girl and kind of looked like one."

Shelly's stomach tightened up with fear and anger. So, her father had been right. Stan was transforming into a woman to come take her down. She could not let that happen. She would not let that happen.

"So," said the man. "Am I still getting paid?"

Shelly barely heard him through her rage and fear. She summoned a fire ball and incinerated him.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: I would like to thank my Beta, GreenHat24 for editing this chapter. I look forward to working with you for the rest of the fic  
**

* * *

Kyle poured over the book he was reading by lamplight in the library of Castle Zaron. As driven as he was, even he started to feel the drain that came with staying up almost all night. The words started to blur, and he found himself reading the same sentences over and over. He had come to the library every night since Stan disappeared. When Kyle wasn't out helping King Randy and Queen Sharon look for their son, he was in the library, researching that strange predicament that Stan had confided to him. Kyle was determined to keep the promise he made to his friend. He had also sent a bird back to one of his scribes in Larnion to start searching his parents' library, but it was still much too soon to get anything from them yet.

It had only been a few days since Stan disappeared, yet, even with the little time Kyle had, he felt like he didn't find much. The only book he found that was even remotely what he was looking for was a large, dusty tome written by an esteemed doctor. It was a large compilation of all his cases on various patients. Kyle found a few entries where the doctor dealt with patients who suffered from severe depressive moods and anxiety due to discontent with their bodies. In most of those cases, the patients, as the book phrased it, were "confused" about their gender. Kyle remembered how Stan had phrased it to him.

Just imagine one day you look at yourself in the mirror and found that you have boobs now.

The patients had complained about feeling betrayed by their own body, a general feeling of wrongness, dissatisfaction with their gender roles, and complete disgust with themselves. Some patients committed or attempted to commit suicide. The doctor concluded that these people were very unwell and listed recommended treatments such as exorcism and bleeding. Kyle almost threw the book out the window. He knew that Stan was not crazy.

After that, Kyle found nothing relevant. He grew even more frustrated. That night, he decided to change his search. On a lark, he searched for books pertaining to women's studies. It was rather embarrassing for him, which was one reason he was in the library so late at night. He had been hoping to find examples of men passing as women. He didn't know where to start, so he just pulled books off the shelves. Their chains rattled as he set them on the table. He had searched through them for hours, but found very little.

Kyle was jolted awake by the sound of heavy footsteps. He scrambled to get the books back onto the shelf, but only managed to get half of them up when he heard someone clear their throat. Princess Shelly stood near the table he was working at.

"Good evening, Princess Shelly," said Kyle.

"Prince Kyle," she responded.

She looked down at the book Kyle had been reading, Princess McCormick. The next princess in line of the McCormicks was Princess Karen McCormick. Her older brother, Kenny, had tried to declare himself a princess, but ran away when he was told that he had to be a prince.

She walked over to the table and picked up another book from the pile he was looking at, Myths and Legends of the Feminine Persuasion. It looked very new. The binding was fresh, and the ink dark. "I'll take this one for my personal study." Shelly had one of her guards fetch the scribe to unlock the chain. She approached Kyle, who was still putting books away. "I've been meaning to ask you. Have you noticed anything strange about my brother? Anything that could lead us to where he is?"

Kyle shook his head. "I already told you and your parents everything I know." That was a lie. He didn't tell anyone about the conversation that he and Stan had the last time they saw each other. Kyle could not betray his friend's trust. Besides, he didn't think it was relevant to their search.

That was before he found out about the patients that committed suicide.

"Are you sure?" asked Shelly.

Kyle hesitated. "Well, Stan had been feeling out of sorts lately, and I promised to help him with his problem. I'm afraid to tell you the specifics, though. Stan trusted me a great deal to keep it a secret, and I'd rather not break that trust if at all possible. I hope you understand."

To Kyle's surprise, Shelly did not press him for details. "If my brother trusted you with a secret, then you have to keep it. But if you find anything that could help with the search, you come straight to me, am I clear?"

"Yes, definitely," said Kyle. Shelly took her book and walked away.

* * *

Stella was in incredible pain. Since she ate the fourth apple, it felt like a thousand needles were being jammed continuously through her whole body. The pain became so unbearable that Wendy and Butters had to help her get to her bed, where she stayed the whole morning. She felt the pain more keenly in her arms and legs, but it hurt everywhere. She spent long hours with absolute pain in her bones.

At one point, Butters came to her room to offer her tea. It had herbs to help with the pain. Stella drank it down greedily, desperate for relief. He also brought up her breakfast. Thanks to the tea, she had a moment to get some food in her. Butters kept her company. He stayed at her side and chatted while he worked on his cross-stitching or some other form of embroidery that Stella didn't recognize.

Just like with her voice, the worst of the pain only seemed to last the first few hours. At around midday, the pain only came in bursts. It was still horrifically painful, but Stella was getting increasingly longer breaks in between each burst. It was also around that time that Stella realized that she was shrinking. Her clothes hung loose, and her hands were definitely smaller than she recalled them being. It wasn't until she tried to get out of bed that she realized the extent of those changes, or how she was changing. To her complete shock and horror, her body wasn't consistently shrinking at the same rate. Her left leg was longer than her right leg. Her ribs were malformed, as was her hip. Even her hands, she could tell, were shrinking at different rates. Her right hand was slightly, yet noticeably, bigger than her left. Stella only took one look at herself under the covers before she let out a scream, prompting Butters to rise from his chair and offer words of comfort. Stella threw the blankets back over herself, just in time for another burst of pain to wrack her body.

Butters offered to teach her how to embroider to pass the time. "Wendy told me that you were planning on marrying a prince, so it might be useful to learn how to pass time with the other ladies at court."

The results were… mixed. First of all, her new hands were a challenge to say the least. They were still shrinking, and gave her horrible pain every few minutes. Though, Stella was confident that she would also completely suck at it anyway. Butters was very graceful at needlework. The thread seemed to flow through the fabric under his swift and steady hands, never missing a stitch. Stella's work was a clumpy mess.

"And all ladies do this at court?" Right as Stella was in the middle of a stitch, the thread tied itself in a knot, and she tugged at it fervently to pull it through. Sparky napped at the foot of her bed. "There's got to be something else."

"Well," said Butters, "there's also poetry, and weaving, and flower-picking, and tea parties, and chess, and…" Stella groaned. Butters continued. "Well, I guess there's also horse riding, and dancing, and singing, and music…"

"Music?" Stella perked up. "I can do music. I'm actually pretty good with the harp."

"Well, there you go," said Butters cheerfully. "I'm sure if you play something nice, your prince will want to marry you for sure."

"Yeah." Stella smiled. Maybe she could accompany her marriage proposal with a ballad. She remembered when she and Kyle would sit together outside, and Kyle would listen to her play. Sometimes Kyle would pick up his own harp, and the two of them would play music together. Stella still remembered all of Kyle's favorite songs. Maybe she'll play one of them. She just needed to figure out how to sing with her new voice…

She stopped that line of thought. Was she actually thinking about romancing Kyle? Up until that point, Stella had only thought about the political aspects of marriage, but, if she did end up marrying Kyle, then, once her transformation was complete, she would have to bear his children and sit together at dinner. Granted, it was not necessary at all for the king and queen to be in love, but Stella had always been a romantic at heart. She had dreamed of falling in love one day and living in bliss with them for the rest of their lives. Kyle was more practical. Now, Kyle wasn't dead. He had flirted with many ladies at court, but Stella knew that her best chance would be to appeal to the soundness of the match. Still…

"You seem to know a bit about court life," said Stella. "Were you a noble?"

Butters paused mid-stitch. "No, my parents are actually servants at Castle Zaron, so I watched the ladies a lot when they were at court."

"Really?" asked Stella. "Would I have seen you somewhere?"

"Probably not," said Butters. "I left home about three years ago. I think you were away somewhere."

"I was still a ward for the king and queen of Larnion," said Stella.

"Oh, right, right," said Butters. "Well, anyway, as I was saying, I spent a lot of time around nobles, and I always had to be on my best behavior. When I was young, I fetched tea, delivered messages, cleaned up after them. The ladies always made some really nice embroidery, so I watched them when I could and took up needlework myself.

"My parents and everyone else made fun of me for being a sissy. The other boys'd throw my cross-stitching in the mud and call me 'Lady Butters', or they'd beat me up. My dad didn't like that I was spending all this time sewing and would give me a good beating if I skipped out on my chores."

"Dude," said Stella.

"Well, that all changed when I met New Kid. One day, when I was playing in the field with my dolls, I found her there, hiding in the grass. At the time, I thought she was a boy. We had all sorts of fun together. She had her magic, we'd play dolls together, we'd pretend that we were in other worlds. It was great.

"But then, she told me that she was a girl and that she was tired of hiding who she was, so she told me that she was going to create a magical place for herself where she could be free to be a girl if she wanted to. She invited me to go along with her, and we both ran away from home."

Stella nodded as she continued to struggle with that bit of thread. There wasn't much more she could say. Kids could be cruel.

Finally, Stella pulled so hard that the thread snapped, completely ruining her already shoddy work. "This isn't working. Is there a harp I could practice on?"

Butters borrowed a harp from New Kid. It was a tiny little thing. The head was carved into the shape of a clitoris, and ripples were carved into wood. At this point, Stella supposed that she shouldn't have been surprised. She settled it onto her lap and started practicing scales. She just wanted to get comfortable with using her new hands. They were still shrinking and were awkward to use. The reach on her fingers was much different now, and the transformation was not finished yet, so she was still plagued with bursts of pain.

Her playing occasionally drew in other people from the house, who would stop by to listen for a bit before going about their day. She even tried singing for a bit. Singing all the old songs she used to know with a different voice was surreal to say the least. She supposed that she would have to get used to singing at a higher pitch.

She kept at it until sunset. When Butters wasn't sitting there doing needlework, he would bring her food or tea as needed. The pain had mostly faded, leaving mostly aches and soreness behind.

"Thanks for helping me out, Butters," said Stella.

"No problem, Your Highness," said Butters.

"Your Highness? I think that's the first time anyone here has called me that."

"Well, you're a princess now," said Butters. "Just like Kenny."

Stella braved getting out of bed. So far, she saw nothing wrong with her body. As a matter of fact, she couldn't see herself at all. Her clothes were now much too big for her. As she got up, she had to hold her trousers up so they wouldn't fall off her hips.

"Woah," said Butters. "That's different."

"I know, right?" Stella looked down and around herself. She wanted to look at her new body so badly. "Um… Butters, do you mind…?"

"Say no more." Butters stood up and headed for the door, taking his needlework with him.

"Wait," said Stella. "Do you think you could show me how to dance?"

Butters stopped at the door. "Well, sure, but don't they teach the men how to dance, too? I'm sure there's not much I can show you that you don't know already."

"Well, I want to be able to dance with Kyle," said Stella. "I mean, that's what princesses do, right? You know… once they get married."

"I suppose," said Butters. "Hang on, I'll be right back."

Butters left Stella alone. As soon as the door closed, Stella rushed to the mirror. She let her clothes fall to the floor and looked at herself. She was smaller and thinner, more feminine. A wide smile came to her face. She looked just like someone who was born female. A flat-chested female, but a female nevertheless. She let out a laugh as she felt up her own body. This was absolutely incredible.

There was a knock on her door. Stella gathered up her clothes and did her best to fit them on. She had to carve some new holes in her belt so that her trousers would stay on her hips, and she rolled up the legs, as they had gotten too long for her. Her shirt hung loosely on her, but there wasn't much she could do about that.

"Come in."

Butters opened the door. New Kid followed him into Stella's room.

"I figured it wouldn't be proper if a lady danced with a gentleman by herself, so I brought New Kid to help us."

New Kid entered the room. She smiled at Stella as she circled her.

"New Kid says that your transformation is going very well," said Butters.

"Thanks." Stella blushed.

"Now then," said Butters, "New Kid will be the man, and Stella will be the woman. New Kid, you start."

New Kid kept smiling as she did a graceful bow.

"Very good, now Stella, you're supposed to curtsy."

"Oh, right." Stella wasn't really sure how. She picked up the sides of her loose trousers and tried to mimic what she saw the ladies at court do.

"There we go," said Butters. "Now positions."

Stella instinctively started the first step, as was expected of the man in this dance, but stopped herself when she saw New Kid do the same.

"Remember, Stella, you're supposed to let New Kid lead."

"Right," said Stella. New Kid stepped forward and put her arm around Stella's waist. It took Stella a moment to recall where to put her hands. She had danced with Wendy many times when they were together, but that had been before her transition. It felt weird to let New Kid lead the dance. It was made even more awkward by the fact that New Kid was wearing a frilly, pink dress while Stella had men's clothing hanging off her body.

Butters had them start slowly to let Stella get used to the new steps and her new body. It was an awkward start. Stella stepped on New Kid's toes once or twice. She would apologize profusely when that happened, but, now that she had a lighter body, it didn't seem such a big deal as it used to. New Kid seemed to be doing great. She never missed a step, and it was easy for Stella to follow her.

"…"

Stella never knew how Butters managed to understand New Kid, but it seemed that she had a subtle way of conveying what she meant through facial expressions or body language. In that moment, while they were dancing, though Stella didn't know why, she felt connected to the other girl she was dancing with. She could relate to this other girl who had been forced to be a boy for her whole childhood before coming out here. Both Stella and New Kid knew very well how liberating it was to finally be able to be themselves.

"Thank you, New Kid," said Stella. "For everything."

New Kid smiled… actually smiled very brightly. From the corner of her eye, Stella saw someone standing at her door frame. When she looked up, she saw Kenny dashing away.


	6. Chapter 6

Stella pulled the little handcart behind Wendy and Garrison as the three of them took a trip to the market. Sparky trotted alongside her. They were running low on meat and cheese, so Garrison had insisted on going into town and took Wendy along for protection. Stella needed new clothes after her transformation, so she asked to go with them.

"Sure," said Garrison. "We'll need someone to carry our stuff." The way Garrison ordered the two runaway nobles around like hired help was a little off-putting, but Stella borrowed some clothes from Wendy and went along.

The market was packed that late summer day. People crowded around the stalls. There was barely any room in the street for Stella to pull the rather small cart. Garrison was shameless, though. He had no trouble pushing people out of the way as they went through.

After Stella had eaten the fifth apple that morning, her chest became sore and sensitive. Her new breasts had been growing in. Like it was with her bones, her breasts did not grow at the same rate. Her left breast grew faster than her right one. Wendy had told her that it had been a similar experience for her growing up.

Stella hardly had any time for herself to enjoy the market that day. Garrison constantly dragged her and Wendy around, taking forever to look through the stalls, appraise the food, and haggle with the merchants, which really amounted to Garrison doing a weird and uncomfortable mix of seducing, insulting, threatening, and cajoling the shopkeeper into giving him what he wanted. The whole time he did that, he insisted that Wendy and Stella stay with him at all times.

"You don't know what kind of people are out on the streets in a place like this," Garrison said. "Give them half a chance and they'll rob us blind and rape us to death."

Neither Stella nor Wendy saw the point in trying to convince Garrison that it was extremely unlikely to get attacked in an open market in broad daylight. They spent the entire afternoon accompanying him from stand to stand. The whole time, the cart getting heavier, and Stella's chest getting sorer.

Stella had one opportunity to slip away. They were headed to a crowded section of the market, when they were suddenly swarmed with incoming and outgoing people. Garrison was having a field day cursing people out and shoving them away. Stella smiled to herself and slipped in with the crowd, Sparky keeping up behind her. She got far enough away that she couldn't see Wendy or Garrison anymore. She felt bad for leaving Wendy alone with Garrison, but it wasn't as if she had much time to warn Wendy about what she was going to do.

Stella hauled the cart towards where the clothes shops would be. Garrison would no doubt get pissed off, but he probably wouldn't leave her behind if she still had all the stuff they had purchased. She and Sparky walked along a street. There were the permanent tailor shops, but there were also stands of people selling cloth. Stella wondered if she should just buy some fabric and have Butters help her make new clothes.

A bunch of women were crowded over a wagon that had been set up at the end of the street. The merchant was a huge woman in a large dress and was peddling lavish and expensive gowns. What she was selling was so valuable that she had two personal guards watching the goods. The merchant was very loud in trying to get people to come take a look at her gowns. The elaborate fabrics shone brightly in the afternoon sun. Stella thought that this woman was crazy trying to sell what was obviously meant for nobility to a crowd of commoners. The women in the crowd looked at the gowns with awe, but no one in that crowd made any move to purchase any. They probably couldn't afford it.

"You, there," the merchant pointed towards Stella. "Young lady, would you care to try on one of my lovely gowns. You would look ravishing in a nice, golden silk."

"Uh, no thanks," said Stella. She wasn't really into gowns, and she never had been. Someone in the crowd shouted at her to get up already.

"Come on, come on, a pretty young thing like you does not belong in those filthy rags. I see inside you have the makings of a princess."

"I think I should get going."

"Come, now," the merchant gesticulated wildly with her hands towards Stella. "It's every girl's dream. You're not a real woman unless you've tried one of my gowns."

The crowd cheered in agreement, urging Stella to go up and try a gown. Stella could not escape their hungry attention.

"All right." She set down the handles to the cart. The crowd cheered. "Sparky, you stay here with the cart."

Sparky whimpered and pawed up at Stella.

"No, Sparky, stay." Stella tied Sparky to the cart. "I'll be right back."

Stella couldn't help but fume in embarrassment from the crowd cheering her on and the merchant beckoning her to the wagon.

"That's it, that's it." The merchant grabbed a hold of Stella's upper arms as soon as Stella got within reach. "Magnificent," she said, looking Stella over. "I've never seen a girl with such short hair. And such strong arms! Are you a laborer?"

"No." Stella pulled away.

The merchant just laughed and turned to the crowd. "Take a good look. In a few moments, this unassuming young lady will emerge into a marvelous beauty."

Anger boiled up inside Stella, but the merchant grabbed her hand and pulled her inside with unimaginable strength. The inside was incredibly spacious, save for the piles of fabric that littered the floor of the wagon. There was a large cabinet in the back that stored even more dresses.

"Now." The merchant clasped her hands together. "What to do with you."

"Can we just get this over with?" Stella asked curtly.

The merchant tsked at her, but she fished out a long, voluminous, golden dress with elaborate black floral patterns embroidered into the fabric.

"Ah, here we are! Now get out of those ugly clothes." The merchant worked with alacrity to get Stella out of her old clothes and into that explosion of silk and lace.

That thing that the merchant stuffed Stella in seemed like it exploded from the waist down in a mountain of silk petticoats. It was painfully constricting in the chest and torso, especially against her sensitive chest. Stella didn't know how she would be able to move in that ridiculous thing.

"Marvelous!" said the merchant. "Absolutely marvelous!"

"Can we just take this thing off please?"

The merchant gave an annoyed hmph before reaching towards the strings on the corset. Instead of untying it, she yanked it tight.

All of a sudden, the chest tightened, the sleeves closed around Stella's hands and arms and stuck to her sides, and the petticoats closed in tightly around her legs. The neck of the dress squeezed tightly around her throat, suffocating her. The constriction was unbearable. Stella couldn't breathe. She panicked as she struggled against the bindings.

"You're not a woman, you turd." Stella looked up to see that Shelly had dropped the glamour she had cast on herself to prevent Stella from recognizing her. "You never were, and you never will be."

"W…why?" Stella choked out.

"Because you were going to kill me!" Shelly yelled. "That's why you're doing all this, aren't you? That's why you've transformed yourself, to become the 'younger sister' and kill me!"

Stella wanted to protest that it wasn't true, but it was exactly what she had intended to do. Stella wanted to fulfil that prophecy to get revenge on Shelly for killing Scott Malkinson and exiling her from her home, but those past few days had been the happiest of her life. She had started to feel as though she was finally finding her place.

Vengeance and the prophecy had been pushed to the back of Stella's mind lately. To see her sister right there, taunting her and trying to kill her yet again, filled Stella with newfound anger and hurt. She struggled against the bindings with all her might, but to no avail.

Suddenly, the door bashed in. Wendy had kicked down the door and was brandishing her sword. She struck at Shelly, but Shelly pulled out her own sword just in time and parried Wendy's strike. Wendy didn't let up. She and Shelly fought strike by strike within the small confines of the wagon.

Shelly tried to incinerate Wendy with her magic, but the spell missed, instead setting fire to one of the fabrics on the floor. It quickly started spreading, setting fire to the whole wagon. Wendy thrusted her sword. Shelly moved her sword to parry, but Wendy kept going forward and pushed into Shelly, knocking her into the closet which was already starting to go up in flames.

Wendy grabbed Stella and dragged her out of the burning wagon. The guards were fending off a very aggressive Sparky. There was a mess outside as everyone panicked over the burning wagon. Wendy dragged Stella over to the cart where Garrison was waiting.

"What the hell is going on?" Garrison demanded.

"Princess Shelly found her." Wendy was holding onto Stella, who was still bound in that enchanted dress. She had lost consciousness.

"Oh dear, let me take a look." Garrison had Wendy put Stella down near the cart. "Oh jeez, that's a Yaronite bondage dress. This certainly takes me back." Garrison had a dreamy look on his face.

"Can you do something?" Wendy demanded.

"Hold on, there should be a catch somewhere around… aha!" Garrison pulled at thread on the hip of the dress. The dress immediately came loose and slumped down. Stella's neck and chest were colored with bruises.

"Okay, Wendy, get back, she needs air." Garrison supported Stella's shoulders from behind as she gasped in deep breaths. "Steady now," said Garrison as Stella regained her breathing. Everything was coming back into view.

Wendy sighed with relief. "Stella, are you alright?"

"Can we just go back, please?" Stella felt humiliated and stupid for having fallen into Shelly's trap like that. She wanted out of that dress. She wanted to lock herself in a room and never come out.

Stella had left the clothes she was wearing in the wagon which was burning itself to a crisp, so she had to wear that gown the rest of the way back. Garrison had lent her his cloak, and Stella walked on with the hood up. Wendy pulled the cart behind them. Sparky whined as he nuzzled up behind Stella, trying to make her feel better.

When they got back to the house, Stella ran to her room. The whole ordeal had been absolutely humiliating. She could not believe she let Shelly play her like that. At the same time, she started to doubt herself. What if she was making a mistake? Did she truly want to be a woman, or was it, as Shelly said, that she just wanted to fulfil the prophecy? And now it was too late. New Kid said that there was no turning back from the transformation. Stella felt emotional and sick. She couldn't help herself. She sat on her bed and just started crying. Other people from the house knocked on her door. Wendy and Butters tried to give words of comfort through the door, but Stella didn't want to hear any of it. She didn't let anyone into her room, not even Sparky.

At one point, New Kid showed up outside Stella's room. Though she made no noise, Stella could just feel her presence on the other side of the door. Butters was with her.

"…"

"New Kid says that Shelly scried for you today using magic," said Butters. "That's how she found you in the market. New Kid's gonna make sure that it doesn't happen again. It's actually lucky that Shelly did that while you were out. If you'd been at the house, then we'd all have been in big trouble."

Stella didn't answer. She just waited for them to go away.

That stupid, ugly dress lay in a pile in the corner of her room. She waited until well past dark, when everyone else had gone to bed, before grabbing it in her arms and going outside to get rid of it. As she walked out of her room towards the stairs, she heard voices while passing Cartman's room. She stopped and looked through the keyhole. To her surprise, she saw Wendy in there. Wendy and Cartman were sitting on Cartman's bed. Half of Cartman's body was hidden from Stella's view.

"How could you possibly say that?" Wendy didn't shout, but Stella could hear the strong inflection in her words. "What happened today wasn't Stella's fault!"

Oh great, now the whole house was talking about what happened at the market. Something inside Stella seethed a little bit to know that Wendy was talking about this to Cartman of all people.

"Stella is a goddamn pussy," said Cartman. "If she'd just moved on and didn't get distracted by stupid girl things, she'd have been fine."

"You don't even know what happened," Wendy countered.

"Well, she should learn that the world is cruel and dangerous and will tear you apart," said Cartman.

"This isn't about Stella, is it?" asked Wendy.

There was a pause.

"You still won't talk about it?" Wendy whispered. Cartman didn't respond, but Stella could almost hear sniffling.

Wendy sighed. "Whatever happened before you came here, whatever happens next, I'll protect you."

Cartman sniffed again. "You mean it?"

"Yes."

"Wendy…"

"What is it?" There was a softness in Wendy's voice that Stella had heard before. She had a bad feeling.

Cartman brought his voice down to a whisper. "I made a new garter belt. Wanna see?"

There was another pause. When Wendy spoke up again, she seemed very sure of what she wanted to say. "Gladly."

Stella couldn't really see what was going on, but she heard a ruffling sound. She must have been mistaken, for it looked very much like Cartman was gathering up his own clothes.

"That's…" said Wendy.

"Real lace," finished Cartman.

"Looks great," said Wendy. "You know what would look great with that?"

"The red skirt," Wendy and Cartman said in unison.

Then, to Stella's horror, they started kissing. Wendy leapt onto Cartman and straddled his hips. Cartman felt her up and down. They started taking off each other's clothes, feeling and holding each other close.

Stella recoiled in disgust. She was sure that she had no feelings for Wendy anymore, but Cartman, really? She walked away just in time to start hearing Wendy's moans. Stella will never forget that exchange for as long as she lived.

She made her way to the large fireplace. The dying log was still a little red from the last fire. Stella rekindled the flames and threw the big, yellow gown into the fire. She stayed up for a bit longer to watch it burn, stoking the fire to keep it going. She didn't leave until every thread from the dress had burned to ash.

It was then that her stomach growled. She had nothing to eat since before she left for the market. She went to the kitchen to get herself some bread and cheese, then sat at the table and nursed her food and wine when someone walked in. Stella looked up and saw Garrison enter the kitchen.

"Oh, finally," said Garrison. "Everyone thought that you had gone all monk or goth on us."

Stella just ignored him and kept picking at her food. Garrison opened a bottle of wine and poured in two goblets for them.

"Yeah, it sucks finding yourself in a weird S&M asphyxiation play with your own sister, but, trust me, it's not nearly as bad as half the stuff I've gotten into. Did I ever tell you about the time with the tiger and the tax collector…?"

"I just," said Stella, "I don't know what I was thinking. Sometimes, I doubt if I'm even a real woman."

"Well, of course you're not," Garrison said casually.

His response came so swiftly that Stella could hardly respond with more than, "What?!"

"Stella, the only way to tell if someone's actually a woman is if they can have babies. Anyone else is just a dude in a dress."

Anger boiled up inside Stella. It was all she could do to avoid flipping the table over. "Fuck you! Once I'm done with the transformation, I'll be able to do everything a woman can do!"

"Well, then you have nothing to worry about," said Garrison. "Seriously, worrying about something as silly as that. You could wear a million gowns and it wouldn't make a difference."

Garrison took his goblet of wine with him out of the kitchen, leaving Stella there, dumbfounded. What he said was very strange, and Stella was sure that he was completely wrong, yet she also felt a lot better, somehow. It wasn't the gowns, or, as Cartman put it, "girl things" that made a woman. It was… something else.

She finished up her snack and went back to her room, feeling considerably better about herself.


	7. Chapter 7

At Castle Zaron, Princess Shelly had spent the night magically tending to her burn wounds. She had been furious that someone had the gall to attack her. She swore that, when she found that turd, she will have everyone who had been hiding him executed.

In that book she had taken from the library, _Myths and Legends of the Feminine Persuasion_ , Shelly had discovered one very interesting legend. It told of a nameless pink fairy that lived in the woods, sheltering those who were between genders in a magical house that appeared in any forest in Zaron. The only way to get to that house was to either have a problem expressing your femininity or by finding "the clitoris". Shelly was at least happy to have confirmed that Stan had been taken under this fairy's protection. However, since that encounter at the market, Shelly could no longer scry for her brother. When she tried again, she only saw a flash of pink hair, pink wings, and an expressionless face before she got cut off, telltale signs of the fairy she had read about. Every time after that gave her absolutely nothing.

There was a knock on her door. A servant entered her room.

"Prince Kyle is here to see you, your Highness," said the servant.

"Send him in," said Shelly. The servant bowed and ran to let the prince inside.

Prince Kyle looked like he had hardly gotten any sleep the night before. His fine clothes were wrinkled, and his red hair, which was already a mass of curls on normal day, was a tangled mess. He held the book _Princess McCormick_ under his arm.

"Princess Shelly." Prince Kyle stepped in. "I think I might have a lead on where Stan could be!"

"Well, don't just stand there, out with it!" Shelly demanded.

Kyle held up his book. "It's a bit of a stretch, but I think there may be a link between Stan and the missing prince of McCormick." He made space on Shelly's desk and opened the book to a page that he had marked with a ribbon. "It says here that Kenny McCormick ran away from the castle after his parents had told him that he had to be a prince instead of a princess."

"What does that have to do with Stan?"

Prince Kyle hesitated. He spoke slowly, as if considering his next words carefully. "It's just… something Stan told me when I last saw him that made this story resonate, so I looked into it. It says here that Prince Stuart was able to track his son fairly easily until he got to a Zaronite forest just outside of McCormick. After that, it was like Kenny had completely vanished. No one could find a single trace of him anywhere, not even bones."

Shelly nodded. She remembered that. Prince Stuart had sent a message to her parents imploring them for help.

"I thought that this sounded exactly like what happened to Stan," said Kyle. "We found his horse all torn up, but no sign of Stan anywhere. So, I think it would be useful to see if you still have records from when you were helping Prince Stuart look for his son."

Shelly clasped her hands together. "I'll see what I can dig up. Thank you for your help."

Kyle picked up the book and left Shelly alone. What he had told her was very interesting. She left her room and headed for the treasury. She didn't even need to inform the treasurer what she needed. Her family had a room in the treasury especially for gifts from the principality of McCormick. When her family exchanged gifts with other kingdoms, the other kingdom usually gave them something far too grand not to be used or put on display, such as a fine bolt of silk from Yaroni or a valuable tome written in gold leaf from Larnion. When it came to McCormick, no one really knew what to do with them. Whenever they received a leather belt made from rat skin or a poorly-done carving from that backwater country, her parents just threw it in the treasury and never looked at it again.

Shelly was looking for one gift in particular. On her sixteenth birthday, her parents had held a grand party in her honor. They had invited royalty from the nearby kingdoms to attend. Even Prince Kyle came, accompanied by her younger brother, Stan, who had come home to visit after living with the Larnion royalty all this time. Those two turds spent the entire day harassing the staff, putting boogers in the food, and making faces during important speeches.

Kenny, next in line to rule McCormick, had presented her with a simple scrap of cloth. It had a pattern of a bee sitting on a beautiful flower sewn into it. It wasn't an ugly thing, but compared to all the other grander and more opulent gifts Shelly had received that day, it looked like something torn from an old peasant's skirt.

Shelly dug through all the junk until she found that little scrap. She pocketed the thing and went to her study. She covered all the windows and closed all the doors. Next, she filled a bowl with water, held the cloth over it, and recited the scrying spell that she had learned the previous day.

Unlike what happened the day before, where she had gotten a clear image of her brother at the Zaron market, the water rippled violently. The bowl shook, and the water started to glow pink. There was a tiny hole in the water where she could see Kenny McCormick's face. She recognized him immediately. Strangely enough, he was surrounded by vaginas.

A fleshy, pink lump emerged from the water. It twitched slightly and floated in the liquid. Shelly picked up the squishy, slimy thing with her thumb and forefinger. Was this the "clitoris" that she had read about? Shelly smiled. That little turd was as good as dead.

* * *

The day began like the previous five days at New Kid's house. Stella got up early and ate the apple that grew on that lone apple tree in the garden. This time, she didn't feel any changes. She hardly imagined that there was any more that needed to be done besides genitalia reassignment, but New Kid told her, through Butters, that it came last. Apparently, the second to last day was reserved for "little changes". Just a little cleaning up before the transformation was complete. That just made Stella impatient. She already felt like her body had gone through all the changes it needed to, and she was anxious for her transformation to be complete.

After having breakfast with everyone else, Stella took a walk with Sparky and then went training with Wendy. After she bathed and changed into yet another set of clothes she had borrowed from Wendy, she came back to her room and saw Kenny standing outside her doorway.

"You still need new clothes, right?" Kenny asked when he saw her.

"Kenny, I really don't want to talk about yesterday," said Stella.

Kenny held up his hands. "I know. I'm not here to rub it in. It's just that I think I can help."

Stella was taken aback by his offer, but still a little suspicious. "I appreciate the offer, but why do you want to help me?"

"Look," said Kenny, "it really sucked what happened yesterday, and I just want to help. Is that so hard to understand?" He started walking away. "Bring your old clothes to my room. It shouldn't take too long for me to refit them."

Stella ended up doing what she was told. She didn't have that many clothes to begin with. The only stuff she came with were the riding clothes she wore when Shelly's wolves chased her into the woods. Butters had given her two other outfits. He figured that she would change quite a bit and that she wouldn't need many men's clothes.

Stella took the clothes to Kenny's room. As it was with Stella's room, the headboard on Kenny's bed curved inward and had ripples carved into the wood. Crude paintings of naked nymphs with large breasts hung on the walls. Kenny had laid out a kit of various needles, pins, and threads on his bed. He looked up when Stella entered his room.

"Just go behind the screen and change into your old clothes." Kenny pointed towards a yellow dividing screen.

Stella made a "hmph" sound, but went behind the screen and put on the outfits that Butters had given her. Just like before, the shirt hung loosely, and the trousers were too loose and too long.

When she emerged from behind the screen, Kenny had her lift her arms. He put pins where he needed to cut and sew. By the time he was done, Stella's clothes already hung a bit better on her.

"Now try to take them off without dislodging any pins," said Kenny.

Stella made a face. She was happy that Kenny had decided to help her, but the way he seemed to dismiss her every time he talked to her was getting on her nerves. Still, she was eager to get it all done, so she went back behind the screen and tried her best to shimmy out of her shirt and trousers before hanging her clothes up on the screen. Kenny took the clothes and walked away. Stella could hear his scissors snipping away at the cloth.

When she changed into her next outfit, Kenny got up from his sewing and started pinning up the shirt and trousers. So on it went until Stella put on her original outfit. She had worn a very nice blue riding jacket and a pair of brown trousers. Just like before, Kenny put pins where he needed to sew it up. Stella could see that he was almost done with her first shirt.

"So, do you have anything to wear when you meet your prince?" asked Kenny. Stella was surprised. This whole encounter had been very awkwardly silent up until now.

"Um, I guess not," said Stella. "Do I need to?"

"Yeah?" said Kenny. "This is kind of important. Do you even have a plan?"

"Well," said Stella. "After tomorrow, I guess I'll need to get ready for a trip to Larnion and get to the castle."

"Right," said Kenny. "And what are you going to do? Just walk through the gates? You still think people will recognize you now?"

"I'll think of something."

Another moment of silence passed. Kenny spoke up again. "You don't have to go. Everyone else here seems happy."

"I don't think I can do that," said Stella. "I'd miss home a whole lot."

"I guess I understand that," Kenny muttered.

"Don't you ever think of going back home?" Stella asked.

Kenny stopped working. He walked over to his wardrobe door and opened it. Stella had to walk stiffly to make sure the pins stayed where they were. Inside was a very old, white dress with a faded purple bodice. Kenny pulled out a thin, golden tiara from one of the drawers. It had five empty giant settings surrounded by a bunch of smaller ones.

"This is the princess' tiara." Kenny touched his finger to the largest setting in the middle. "As time went on, each generation of the McCormick family had to sell the jewels from the tiara bit by bit to keep the country afloat. No one even remembers what it originally looked like.

"When I was born, my family was resigned to one more generation under a prince. In my country, a prince can only lead in war. I didn't want that for my country anymore. I took the princess gown and modified it so that it would fit me. I thought I had been so clever, but my parents just wouldn't have it. Only a princess can change the rules.

"I had no other choice. I took the princess' tiara and the gown and I ran away. I probably should have left them for my sister, but I guess some part of me would still like to go back and be Princess Kenny."

"I don't think I miss being a prince that much," said Stella. "I just want my life back. I want to see my parents again. And Kyle. He was my closest friend growing up, and, even when I went back to Zaron, I looked forward to when I'd get his next letter. I checked the rookery every day."

"Do you have feelings for him?" asked Kenny.

Stella blinked. "I don't know. I only came up with this idea because I thought it would be the best way to make a move against Shelly, but…" Stella thought about how it had been when she and Wendy were together and imagined what it would be like with Kyle. Unlike with Wendy, though, everything would be open. They would share a bed together every night instead of sneaking off for a moment alone. Instead of stealing a kiss behind the elk tapestry in the grand hall, they could enjoy each other freely every day. At the same time, she and Kyle would do what they have always done: go riding, play music together, go drinking, and make fun of everyone they saw at court every day.

"Do you think the transformation is affecting who I'm attracted to?" asked Stella. She had only ever been with Wendy. When they separated, Stella had never really liked anyone else until now.

Kenny shrugged. "I don't see why it would. There are plenty of woman who like other woman… like New Kid…" he trailed off.

"Do you have feelings for her?" Stella threw Kenny's question back at him.

Kenny sighed and looked back down at the tiara before putting it away. "Things would be so much easier if I were a woman. But New Kid was right. I just need to be happy with who I am. It would have been a mistake to try to force myself to be a woman, wouldn't it?"

"You would have been miserable," said Stella. "Every day would have felt like a betrayal to yourself."

Kenny closed the wardrobe. "Yeah. I'm a guy. I like sewing and wearing dresses, and I want to be a princess. But I'm a guy. I just have to accept that." Kenny went back to work on Stella's clothes. "You know what?" he said, looking at her riding jacket. "You should really have a dress."

"I've never really had to wear one before," said Stella. She was not going to count what had happened at the market.

"Well, it'd be nice to at least have one," said Kenny. "You know what," he said as he started removing the pins, "that's a really nice shade of blue. I think I can make a great bodice out of this jacket, and I have a lot of cloth that I can use to make a skirt."

"Are you sure, dude?" asked Stella.

"Look, I know things have been awkward between us, but it is what it is."

"Thank you, Princess," said Stella.

"Don't mention it, Princess."

Stella changed back into Wendy's clothes and let Kenny get to his work. The rest of the day went by uneventfully. In the evening, everyone had dinner together. Afterwards, Stella played harp for everyone. With Butters' help, Kenny finished the dress. New Kid helped Stella put it on. It was a peasant-style dress with a white shirt, dark blue bodice, and a long brown skirt, but it was very lovely. It felt very breezy, wearing that thing, but Stella had fun swishing it back and forth.

Just one more day, one more apple, and Stella would be done. She looked every bit the woman she wanted to be. The only thing left to change was her dick. But that would change in just one day. Then she could plan to go to Larnion and meet Kyle.

Stella did a lot of thinking since her conversation with Kenny. When she first got there, she had been so angry and scared that she wanted so badly to get revenge on Shelly and set things right. Yet, if Shelly had never tried to kill her, Stella would never have found this place and would never have started her transformation. Though it was a terrible thing that Scott Malkinson had died, Stella could not deny that she was far better off now than she had ever been. Also, Wendy was right. It was a lot to ask of Kyle to get Larnion into a conflict with Zaron. Stella loved Kyle. Screw the prophecy, screw all this, it would be enough to move to Larnion and be with Kyle for the rest of her life.

* * *

When Shelly made her next move, it had been far past nightfall. She needed to get to the fairy's garden as early in the morning as she possibly could, just when the next apple was about to bud and grow. With the clitoris in hand, all she needed to do was ride into the forest and envision a giant vagina.

The ride was surprisingly short. All she had to do was ride deep enough into the forest so that the castle was no longer visible. The only thing around her were trees.

Up ahead was a rather large wooden house. The doors and windows were shaped like wooden pussies. Shelly felt a twinge of excitement run through her. She had found the little turd. There would be no escape now.

She made her way to the garden. The book said that the transformation required the recipient to eat one apple per day from a lone apple tree that the fairy kept in her garden. There were many trees here, though each and every one of them was a peach tree. Shelly kept looking, going further and further until she saw one small tree that stood apart from the others.

Shelly's timing could not have been better. Though it was hard to tell in the forest, the barest hint of light started to shine from the horizon. The little bud on the tree started to grow and redden.

Shelly acted quickly. She took her waterskin from her belt and held it over the growing bud. She carefully administered a few drops of the potion she made onto the apple. As the apple grew, it turned a very deep and lustrous red. Shelly smiled. One of the secondary effects of the potion was that it made whatever food it touched extremely appetizing and delicious, perfect for poisoning someone.

She stoppered her waterskin and snuck away.


	8. Chapter 8

Stella woke up early the next morning. She had been so excited to complete her transformation that she hardly got any sleep. The moment she saw the light of dawn peeking in through her window, she jumped out of bed. The new dress that Kenny had made for her immediately caught her eye. She eagerly put it on. It seemed fitting to wear it now. She imagined coming back up to the house while everyone was getting ready for breakfast. No doubt Wendy and New Kid would be happy for her.

She took one last look at herself in the mirror. So much has changed. Not just her body, but her whole demeanor improved significantly. She couldn't stop smiling, and she stood a little straighter.

Stella reached between her legs and grabbed her crotch, giving her dick a silent goodbye. She was going through a lot of changes, but it had served her very well over the years.

Going down the stairs in a skirt was rather difficult, since she wasn't used to it. She caught her foot on the hem and had to catch herself on the bannister. Everything felt very loose and breezy down there. She supposed it was something she would just have to get used to.

She rushed to the garden. When she got outside, she picked up her skirt like she saw some of the ladies do back home so she could run. Sticking out among the peach trees was the one last thing she needed, the key to her happiness. The last apple was a vibrant red that called out to her. Her heart pounded. She couldn't wait.

Stella plucked the apple from the tree. She thought about what it would be like to finally talk to her parents again. Though it had only been a few days since she last saw them, she felt that so much has happened since. She wanted to tell them everything. She wanted to tell her father that she didn't mind that he spent his time dressed as a woman and sang in people's bathrooms.

And Kyle… Even if he didn't agree to marry her, she knew that her best bet would be to live in Larnion. If she went back home, Shelly would kill her for sure. Kyle would help Stella, she was sure of it. If not… well, there were worse places to spend exile than a magical house in the woods surrounded by friends who accepted her for who she was.

But all that could wait. Stella brought the apple to her mouth and took a large bite…

* * *

New Kid woke up to an incredible feeling of wrongness. The dark, heavy feeling pressed down on her chest, and she was drenched in sweat. Something foul was in the house, and it bothered her like nothing else did, except maybe when she really needed to let one rip but she was right in the middle of dinner and everyone was around her.

New Kid got up. She only bothered putting on a fluffy, pink robe and a pair of red slippers. She grabbed her wand and ran out of her room.

She nearly ran into Butters, who had gotten up early like he normally did to take care of breakfast for everyone.

"Good morning, New Kid," said Butters.

"..." New Kid was rather brusque with him. She had no time for pleasantries at the moment. She needed to find out what was going on, and she had one idea as to what it could be.

"W…what's wrong?" asked Butters.

"…" New Kid gathered her skirt and ran towards the stairs.

"Oh, hamburgers." Butters followed after her.

Sparky ran up to them when they reached the kitchen. He started barking and whining at New Kid, pawing on the ground.

"Not now, Sparky," said Butters. But, when Sparky ran off to the garden, New Kid followed him.

Stella lay unconscious at the base of the apple tree. Her hand was stretched out above her head. A few inches away from her lay a red apple with a bite taken out of it. New Kid, Sparky, and Butters ran to her side.

"Stella!" Butters exclaimed. "Oh, hamburgers!"

New Kid knelt down at Stella's side. Her thick wand vibrated as she held it over her. She was still alive, but barely holding on. New Kid could see a dark, poisonous magic coursing through Stella's body, a thick and toxic presence within her that mingled with the magic from the apple and tried to smother her life force. If they didn't act quickly, Stella would die.

New Kid willed her magic to reach out and heal her friend. Her wand vibrated vigorously. It was so intense that New Kid needed both hands to keep the thick, throbbing instrument from flying out of her grasp. The magic that she was battling was powerful. The dark presence within Stella hissed and shrieked at New Kid's meddling. It battled her with everything it had, and New Kid needed all her focus and energy just to do battle with that thing.

Their magic clashed. The wand started pumping hot and heavy in New Kid's hand. Her heart was racing, her breathing quickened, and sweat poured down her face. Butters gasped in surprise and said something to her, but she barely heard him. Finally, the magic she was battling started to whine and pull back. New Kid's breathing became more labored as she gained more ground on it.

New Kid hissed as she finally won. Her wand retracted and squirted out a splash of white magic from the tip and onto Stella. New Kid panted from the exertion. She couldn't get rid of the spell, but she stopped it from killing Stella. The best she could do was convert the killing spell into a spell that put Stella into an enchanted sleep.

"What happened?" asked Butters. He couldn't see what happened. He didn't see the magics clashing against one another.

"…" New Kid did her best to explain what was going on.

"Oh, hamburgers," said Butters. "Poor Stella. What are we gonna do now?'

"…" The spell that New Kid had placed Stella under had only one cure.

"True love's kiss?" said Butters. "Well, how are we gonna get one of those?"

"…"

"Prince Kyle? Well, I guess that's our best option. But how are we gonna get Stella over to Prince Kyle?"

"I am Lord. I am Lord. Ya ya ya." The Singing Lord's voice carried over into the garden from the privy. Butters and New Kid left Stella with Sparky and hurried over.

"…" said New Kid when they reached the door of the privy. She and Butters stood a fair distance away. The stench was overwhelming.

"Umm… miss Lord, your Majesty?" said Butters. "Stella's in a world of trouble right now, and she needs your help. She ate a poisoned apple and needs true love's kiss to wake her up. We need Prince Kyle over here right away."

"Ya ya ya. Ya ya ya."

"Please, your Majesty," said Butters. "We know you talk to her sometimes. Surely you must know everything Stella's been through. Right now, she needs you more than ever."

The singing stopped.

"You think it worked?" asked Butters, but New Kid ran back to Stella. She used her magic to create a bed of glass shaped like a vagina. It was enchanted to feel like the softest bed ever created. Her wand vibrated gently as she levitated Stella onto the glass.

* * *

Some time later, everyone gathered outside. Butters filled them in on what happened.

"But she's going to be okay, right?" asked Kenny. "We just need to get Prince Kyle over here."

"Well, if he's her true love, then yes," said Butters.

Wendy sighed. "We can't just count on the Singing Lord. Someone needs to make sure that Prince Kyle gets here."

"What do you mean?" asked Cartman.

"Well, I'm the best person to go. Prince Kyle knows who I am, and I am Larnion nobility."

"Are you sure?" asked Kenny. "You illegally enlisted in the army and are now a deserter."

"Oh, no no no," said Cartman. "You are not risking yourself for some dumbass pussy."

"Yes, I am," Wendy said sternly. "If it will help Stella, then I'm going."

Cartman sighed. "Fine, but if you're going, then I'm going with you."

* * *

Wendy and Cartman left the house and headed towards Castle Zaron. They didn't get far when they saw King Randy and Prince Kyle on horseback. King Randy looked like he had just gotten out of bed and had to get ready in haste. His dark, greying hair was disheveled, his clothes were wrinkled, and his left bootlaces were untied.

"Ginger!" Cartman picked up a stick and charged forward to hit Kyle with it.

"No!" Wendy yelled before Kyle could react. She turned to Kyle. "I am so sorry, Your Highness."

Kyle recovered enough from Cartman's attack to respond. "Wendy?"

"Yes, it's me," said Wendy.

"Have you been hiding in Zaron this whole time?" asked Kyle.

"Sort of," said Wendy. "It's a long story. But I know where Ste… Stan is. Um… 'he' needs your help right away!"

"Stan?" King Randy rode up to her. "What that hell happened?"

"Stan has been hiding out in the woods, Your Majesty. Something happened to him. I'll explain on the way."

* * *

Wendy and Cartman led Kyle and Randy to where the others gathered around Stella.

"I still can't believe it," said Kyle. "So, this is Stan."

"Yes, Your Highness," said Wendy. "After Shelly tried to kill her, she's been hiding out with us."

"I still don't believe any of this," said Randy. "I can't believe that Shelly would try to kill her own brother, or that this woman is really Stan."

New Kid walked up to him. She did nothing. She just stood there and stared at him.

"What?" asked King Randy. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"…"

"Butters!" Cartman smacked Butters on the back of the head.

"Oh, right," said Butters. He cleared his throat and stood behind New Kid. "Your Majesty, think back to all those nights where just for one moment, you could just be yourself. Think back to those dreams, Singing Lord. Think back and show the world who you really are."

King Randy looked down. He had a thoughtful look on his face. "I… I remember. I remember feeling so alone and confused, but then one day I started having these dreams. I'd dream that I was in a safe space surrounded by people who accepted me for who I am. So, this whole time… all those dreams… Oh, God, Stella!"

Randy leapt off his horse and ran to Stella. "Oh, Jesus Christ, sweetheart. What happened to you? Oh, Shelly, what have you done?"

New Kid turned to Kyle. "..."

"Oh," said Butters, "um, this is kind of awkward, but, when Stella was in the process of transformin'…well, she talked about you a whole lot, and it seemed the two of you were real close…"

"It's okay," said Kyle. "Wendy told me."

"…" New Kid touched Kyle's hand sympathetically.

"Well, fellas, we should probably leave these two alone."

New Kid and the rest went inside the house. King Randy tore himself away from his daughter.

"Now, listen here," he said to Kyle. "If you ever try anything funny with my daughter, you will have the whole army to answer to." He followed New Kid into the house.

Kyle got down from his horse. He just looked at Stella's unconscious form. She looked so peaceful. Her lovely face was completely relaxed, her long eyelashes fluttered over her closed eyelids, while her breasts slowly rose and fell with her breathing. Wendy had told him everything. For one brief moment, Kyle imagined seeing her like this when he woke up every morning. He quickly shook it off. She was unconscious for Christ's sake. The only reason he was even considering this was because Wendy had told him that Stella was under a spell.

"Um," said Kyle. "Stan… or Stella, I guess. Um… I guess I'm not really surprised. I did the research you told me to, and you're not alone. There are other people who, like you, were dissatisfied with their gender and… oh God." He felt so nervous all of a sudden. He felt as though he was messing up somehow. "Oh, forget it. All I want is my best friend back. I don't care if you're a man or a woman. Just as long as it is who you really are. I just need to know that this is really you."

At that moment, Sparky ran out from the house. He barked happily as he jumped up on Kyle.

"Hey there, boy," said Kyle. He gently tried to bat him away. "Sorry, boy. I forgot that that you were gone." Sparky kept barking. "All right, all right," said Kyle. He turned back to Stella. Everything Wendy had told him sounded crazy. Even if he did accept that his best friend had found a way to magically turn into a woman, was Stella's plan really to marry him? Did that make Kyle her true love?

Kyle licked his lips. He had been closer to his old friend than he was with anyone, and he owed it to Stella to do everything he could to help her. He looked down at her once more. When they had last seen each other, Stan had been so lost. She looked so calm now. All that Kyle wished for in that moment was that she would be happy with who she was for the rest of her life. He brushed a lock of dark hair from her face and leaned down to kiss her oh so briefly on the mouth.

* * *

Stella was trapped in a nightmare. One moment, she was running through the hallway of Castle Zaron, then she came into the ballroom, where a mass of faceless, featureless figures in gowns and makeup were twirling around to an ominous waltz. Shelly was sitting on a throne at the far end of the room.

Suddenly, Stella found herself in the middle of the ballroom. The room became ten times bigger. She found herself in that large, ugly dress that Shelly had used to try to kill her.

"Hey look, it's a turd in a dress," Shelly laughed as she pointed her scepter at Stella. Stella looked down in horror to find that she was in her male body again. The sound of laughter filled the room.

"Please stop," Stella begged in her old voice. Everyone only laughed harder. "Please." She fell the floor.

"Don't listen to them, Stella." Stella looked up to see Wendy standing over her, wearing a general's uniform. "We all know who you really are."

"That's right, now man up, you little dick-sucking pussy," said Cartman.

"I'm sorry I've been a dick to you, but the only one who matters is you." Kenny walked in wearing the McCormick princess' dress and tiara, except they were no longer the tattered relics Stella saw them as before. They were shiny and new, and the tiara sparkled with brilliant gems.

"Hang in there, Stella," said Butters, "we've got your back."

"You bothered me for this, jeez," said Garrison.

New Kid flew down. Her large, pink wings fluttered elegantly as she descended to Stella's side. She was wearing the largest, shiniest, frilliest pink ballgown Stella had ever seen, along with a copious amount of gold jewelry. New Kid looked at Stella and smiled. Stella could feel her reaching out to her and offering support.

"I don't know." Stella hugged herself.

Stella felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and saw her father looking down at her. "Hey, Stella. Everything's going to be okay."

Sparky came in bounding into the ballroom. His tail wagged excitedly as he ran towards her. She opened her arms and rubbed his head.

"Stella." Prince Kyle stood before her. He held his hand down towards her. "Whatever happens, we'll face it together."

Stella looked from his hand to her best friend's handsome face. She felt heat come to her face at him saying her name. She felt wonderful. He pulled her up as she took his hand. As she got closer to him, everything faded to white.

* * *

Stella woke up in a glass pussy. It was very bright outside. Kyle was standing over her.

"Holy shit, dude!" she exclaimed.

"I'm so sorry," said Kyle. "I only did it to break the spell."

"What happened?" she asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Shelly poisoned you with magic. The only way to bring you back was to be kissed by your true love."

"What?"

"Oh, I'm a little confused myself. I didn't realize what it'd be like for you."

Stella stood up. "Shelly? Where is everyone?"

"They went inside. I don't know where Shelly is."

"How did you get here?"

"Do you just want to take some time to catch up?" asked Kyle.

They took a walk around the orchard. Stella told him everything that happened since they last saw each other, about how Shelly tried to kill her, her finding New Kid and the others, and her transformation. Kyle got her caught up on what had happened since she ate that apple, which wasn't much, since he got most of that information from Wendy.

"So, are you surprised?" asked Stella. "I can only imagine what you must have thought when you saw me like… this."

"Well, the magical transformation was unexpected," said Kyle, "but, from what I've read, I kind of felt like this was what you were going through."

"You actually looked into it?" Stella felt heat come to her face.

"Of course," said Kyle. "You're my best friend. I'm always there for you."

Stella smiled. That was why she loved him so much.

"So, Butters said that your plan was to marry me?" said Kyle.

"Oh." Stella brushed up her skirt. "Yeah. When I first heard about the prophecy, I thought I would get vengeance on Shelly if I married you and came back to punish her."

"That's not happening, dude," said Kyle.

"I know," said Stella. "After I started my transformation, I did a lot of thinking. I don't care about Shelly anymore. After a while, I started to fall for you, and, while it would be the most wonderful thing in the world if you agreed to marry me, I just want your help to keep me safe in Larnion. I don't think I'll be able to go back home with Shelly in power."

"Dude," said Kyle.

"Is this alright?" asked Stella.

"It's fine. It's just that this is all so sudden. I'm probably closer to you than I am to anyone, but up until now, I thought you were a boy."

"Oh," said Stella.

"But, my parents really wanted a marriage between our families," said Kyle, "so if it's alright with our parents, I would love to marry you."

"Really?" Stella.

"Yes, Stella," said Kyle. "It's a great idea politically, and you look very beautiful." Kyle's face reddened.

Stella couldn't believe it. She felt absolutely wonderful. "Kyle…"

Kyle took her hands. "I'll take you back to Larnion right away. I promise I won't let anything happen to you."

"I love you so much, Kyle," said Stella. "Oh, there are still some things left to do before I complete my transformation, but the fairy I've been staying with can help fix that."

"Right," said Kyle, "and your father is inside. We should probably break the news to him."

The two of them walked to the house. At one point, Kyle "playfully" brushed up against her arm.

When they walked inside, they saw everyone waiting for them.

"Well it's about goddamn fucking time," said Cartman. "Wendy made me wait out here for God knows how long."

Everyone else stood up and crowded around her. They all were happy to see her and wondered if she was all right.

"I'm fine, everyone," said Stella. "I have an announcement." Kyle took her hand. "Kyle and I are getting married."

"Well, assuming that our parents approve of this…" said Kyle.

"What?!" Randy walked up to Kyle. "I told you no funny business with my daughter."

"Oh my God, Dad." Stella pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Your Majesty," said Kyle, "I would like your permission to marry your daughter."

"Dad, please," said Stella.

Randy sighed. "All right, fine. But if I even think you are doing something inappropriate, I will send an army into Larnion like no one has seen before."

"Jesus Christ, Dad."

"Not so fast, you turds." Stella was horrified to see Shelly standing in the doorway.

"Shelly." Wendy reached for her sword, but Randy stopped her.

"Shelly, please," said Randy. "Stella means you no harm. Let's just please go home and forget all of this."

"It's okay, Dad," said Shelly. The smile she had on her face could only be described as malicious. "There is nothing to worry about. My sister won't kill me, because she is not my sister."

"What are you talking about, Shelly?" asked Stella.

"What I'm talking about, _Stan_ , is that your little plan won't work because you didn't complete your transformation. You're still a man."

"Fuck you, Shelly," said Stella.

"Ask your fairy friend," said Shelly. "I read up on that transformation spell. You're stuck, and I know for a fact that the important bits didn't get changed. You're not fulfilling the prophecy, and you are not marrying Kyle."

"It's not true!" said Stella. "I just need to finish the transformation, and I will be just as much of a woman as you are, right New Kid?"

"…" New Kid looked down. Stella didn't need Butters to know what that despondent look on her face meant.

"New Kid?" asked Stella.

"She's very sorry, Stella," said Butters. "But that potion did more than just poison you. It also stopped the transformation magic, and once you start, you can't stop."

"No, this can't be!" Stella.

"It's the truth, turd," said Shelly. "You are not a woman, and you never will be a woman."

Stella felt a surge of anger and hurt and humiliation. Her entire world felt like it was crumbling down. Tears ran down her face.

"Why are you doing this to me?" asked Stella. "I never meant you any harm."

"Stella," said Kyle. "I'm so sorry." He tried to hold her hand again, but she pulled away.

Everyone went quiet as Stella stood there and cried.

"Stella," said New Kid. "I want you to tell me this. Are you a woman or not?"

"What are you talking about?" Stella said through the tears. "You said so yourself. I can never complete the transformation now."

"Stella," said New Kid, "womanhood is far more than what you are on the outside. Womanhood is something that each of us reaches in our own way. The only one who can decide if you are a woman or not is you."

"But I can't," said Stella. "I wanted this transformation so badly, and now I'm nothing."

"Well, jeez," said Garrison. "Are you really going to cry about that?"

"What?" said Stella. "You were the one who said I can't be a woman if I don't have a womb."

"I said you can't be a woman if you can't have babies, not if you have a dick," said Garrison. "You and Kyle will just have to find some magic mojo to make one of you pregnant so you don't get AIDS."

"Bullshit!" said Shelly. "I don't care what fairy tale crap you've been feeding my brother. No man will be able to marry you."

"Actually, Princess Shelly," said Kyle. "I happen to know that Stella is a gorgeous and charming woman, and I would be honored to marry her."

"Well, tough shit, you little turd, no one is going to let you marry someone with guy parts."

"She's right," said Stella. "I'll never bear any children. We couldn't marry if we wanted to."

"We could adopt," said Kyle. "In Larnion, a foundling can inherit the throne just as well as a born child could."

"Or you could be fags and adopt, that's fine," said Garrison.

"You can't marry Kyle, because you aren't a woman," said Shelly.

"Stella," said New Kid, "it's up to you to decide. Are you a woman?"

Stella wiped her face. "I am a woman."

Everyone except Shelly and Cartman cheered.

"No!" yelled Shelly. "I don't care what you say! You will not cast me down. You are not a woman!"

"Give it up, Shelly," said Randy. "You have two royals who will accept Stella as a woman, as well as anyone who is a woman on the inside."

"No!" yelled Shelly. "I will not allow this."

Stella looked into her sister's eyes. "I am doing this. I am a woman, and I will marry Kyle. You've done some really terrible things, and I hate you. But all I want is to live my life the way I want to. I'm not going to do anything to you. I'm going to leave you behind in Zaron, and I never want to see you again."

"I won't allow it!" yelled Shelly. "I'm going to bring back an army, burn this house down, and kill every last one of you turds!"

"No, you won't," said Randy. "We are going back home, and you will never bother your sister ever again."

"Gaaaaah!" Shelly ran out of the house.

Kyle put his arm around Stella. "Are you alright?"

Stella sighed and leaned into his embrace. "Yeah, I think I'll be fine."

"Well, I would love for you to come back home," said Randy, "but I guess you won't trust Shelly enough not to kill you."

"Yeah," said Stella. "I'm really sorry for causing you and Mom pain. But I guess now you can tell everyone I'm fine."

Kyle looked into Stella's eyes. "I'll get my entourage ready to go back to Larnion right away. I'll take you back home as soon as I can."

"Sounds good," said Stella. They kissed once more. This time, Stella took the time to make it feel good. She pulled him close as the world melted away. It just felt so right. They pulled away, breathless.

"I'll be back," said Kyle.

Stella stayed with New Kid and the others for a few more days. New Kid let Kyle and his entourage ride up to the house. Stella's parents were there when Kyle came to pick her up. Queen Sharon was in tears as she hugged her daughter. Stella, Kyle, Randy, and Sharon stayed at the house for tea as they all got caught up. The king and queen were very upset that Stella couldn't come back to the castle, but they were very happy that her and Kyle were getting married.

When it was time to leave, Stella rode at Kyle's side. Wendy ran up to them.

"Stella! Kyle!" she yelled. "Please let women fight in the Larnion military. And tell my parents that I will be home soon."

"Will do, Wendy!" Kyle called back at her as they rode away.


	9. Epilogue

Prince Kyle and Princess Stella married with the blessings of both families. It was a joyous occasion, and the two of them went on to become some of the most beloved monarchs Larnion ever had. The story they told everyone was that Prince Stan of Zaron went on a journey and emerged magically transformed into the woman she was always meant to be. The fact that she retained her male genitalia was an open secret among the court. The official story was that the magics that transformed her left her barren. They eventually adopted a son together, a rather rambunctious young prince who was an absolute handful to raise.

It couldn't be denied that the two of them were completely and utterly in love. Stella stayed by his side while they attended matters of state, and they played jokes on the court. Stella kept practicing swordsmanship and was fiercely protective of her husband, fighting duels in his honor.

* * *

As promised, Kyle and Stella allowed women to join the military and pardoned Wendy for her desertion. Wendy returned to her family. She married Sir Gregory and took up the role as Countess Testaburger, guarding the land in her own right. She brought her very abrasive and obese handmaiden, with whom she was rarely seen without. However, when Lady Wendy would go off to war, her handmaiden would not ride off with her, instead, she would stay behind and look after their daughter.

* * *

Months after Stella married Kyle, Prince Stuart McCormick perished, leaving his daughter, Karen, to take the throne. Her first order as princess was to issue a decree allowing the reigning monarch to choose the title of prince or princess, regardless of gender, and accept the rights and responsibilities as they saw fit. Kenny returned home for his father's funeral. He reunited with his beloved sister, who stepped down, allowing him to reign as Princess McCormick. He hired the perfect attendant: the ever loyal and proper Butters Stotch.

* * *

The tale of the Singing Lord persisted throughout the kingdom of Zaron. She sang her song from privy to privy, confusing many people and leaving behind nasty shits wherever she went. Some would say that the Singing Lord took occasional trips to Larnion. It was rumored that Princess Stella communicated to her father this way, and that she took quiet trips to the privy at night, catching up on things while standing a good distance away from the door.

* * *

No one knew what became of Garrison. However, some colorful rumors had swept up across the lands. Some noted that they saw him on a slave ship, "forced" to give oral pleasure for his livelihood. Others claimed they saw him in a brothel of ill repute, working as a dominatrix. Some odd reports said that a woman who looked just like him was seen in a sultan's harem. The strangest tale of them all had him settle down in a backwater town in Zaron, working as a teacher.

* * *

New Kid kept her house open for any person who struggled with keeping in touch with their femininity. She spent many years shepherding those who were lost and dissatisfied with their place in the world and helped them go back into society as the people they were meant to be. She still kept in touch with the original crew, and they invited her to stay with them on multiple occasions. Many long years helping others helped her find the courage to return to her parents, who had been utterly distraught and guilty after having lost their daughter once and promised never to lose her again.

* * *

Princess Shelly made no more attempts to kill her sister for a very long time. The king and queen kept a very close watch on her and reminded her time and time again that attacking the wife of the heir of their closest ally would be a terrible idea. However, nothing seemed to calm her down since she had first heard the prophecy. She still remained convinced that her sister was going to kill her and became increasingly paranoid.

This all came to a head when King Gerald of Larnion perished, leaving Kyle to take the throne and, in turn, making Stella Queen of Larnion. Seeing Stella become queen before she did caused Shelly to panic. She attempted to assassinate her sister at the coronation, only for the attempt to misfire and kill a very important duke of Larnion. Stella did her best to calm things down, even going so far as to offer to leave Larnion so that no one else would get hurt, but the lords demanded justice, and King Kyle had little choice but to threaten war with Zaron. To prevent the bloodshed, King Randy and Queen Sharon tearfully turned Shelly over to the monarchs of Larnion for justice on the condition that she be left alive. Shelly spent the rest of her life in a tower prison, locked down by powerful magics designed to contain magical threats to the kingdom.

Without any other heirs to the throne of Zaron, Stella became next in line for the crown. As she was married to the king of Larnion, the two countries were to unite once the throne passed on to her. King Randy and Queen Sharon spent the rest of their reign preparing for the eventual transition. Stella was happy with her life, but she would forever lament a fate that both she and Shelly had worked so hard to avoid.

Kyle and Stella's reign as King and Queen was a hard but happy one as they had to contend with the responsibility of keeping a newly united kingdom stable. However, with hard work, they were able to keep the country prosperous, and they lived happily until the end of their days.

* * *

 **AN: I would like to give a huge thanks to my beta GreenHat24 for editing this story. It has been a great pleasure.**


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